to the lash and required washington's written permission before whipping, though his extended absences did not always permit this. washington remained dependent on slave labor to work his farms and negotiated the purchase of more slaves in 1786 and 1787. washington brought several of his slaves with him and his family to the federal capital during his presidency. when the capital moved from new york city to philadelphia in 1791, the president began rotating his slave household staff periodically between the capital and mount vernon. this was done deliberately to circumvent pennsylvania's slavery abolition act, which, in part, automatically freed any slave who moved to the state and lived there for more than six months. in may 1796, martha's personal and favorite slave oney judge escaped to portsmouth. at martha's behest, washington attempted to capture ona, using a treasury agent, but this effort failed. in february 1797, washington's personal slave hercules escaped to philadelphia and was never found. in february 1786, washington took a census of mount vernon and recorded 224 slaves. by 1799, slaves at mount vernon totaled 317, including 143 children. washington owned 124 slaves, leased 40, and held 153 for his wife's dower interest. washington supported many slaves who were too young or too old to work, greatly increasing mount vernon's slave population and causing the plantation to operate at a loss. abolition and manumission in 1794, washington privately told tobias lear, his secretary, that he found slavery repugnant. based on his letters, diary, documents, accounts from colleagues, employees, friends, and visitors, washington slowly developed a cautious sympathy toward abolitionism that eventually ended with his will freeing his military/war valet billy lee, and then subsequently freeing the rest of his personally owned slaves outright upon martha's death. as president, he remained publicly silent on the topic of slavery, believing it was a nationally divisive issue that could destroy the union. during the american revolutionary war, washington began to change his views on slavery. in a 1778 letter to lund washington, he made clear his desire "to get quit of negroes" when discussing the exchange of slaves for the land he wanted to buy. the next year, washington stated his intention not to separate enslaved families as a result of "a change of masters". during the 1780s, washington privately expressed his support for the gradual emancipation of slaves. between 1783 and 1786, he gave moral support to a plan proposed by lafayette to purchase land and free slaves to work on it, but declined to participate in the experiment. washington privately expressed support for emancipation to prominent methodists thomas coke and francis asbury in 1785 but declined to sign their petition. in personal correspondence the next year, he made clear his desire to see the institution of slavery ended by a gradual legislative process, a view that correlated with the mainstream antislavery literature published in the 1780s that washington possessed. he significantly reduced his purchases of slaves after the war but continued to acquire them in small numbers. in 1788, washington declined a suggestion from a leading french abolitionist, jacques brissot, to establish an abolitionist society in virginia, stating that although he supported the idea, the time was not yet right to confront the issue. the historian henry wiencek (2003) believes, based on a remark that appears in the notebook of his biographer david humphreys, that washington considered making a public statement by freeing his slaves on the eve of his presidency in 1789. the historian philip d. morgan (2005) disagrees, believing the remark was a "private expression of remorse" at his inability to free his slaves. other historians agree with morgan that washington was determined not to risk national unity over an issue as divisive as slavery. washington never responded to any of the antislavery petitions he received, and the subject was not mentioned in either his last address to congress or his farewell address. the first clear indication that washington seriously intended to free his slaves appears in a letter written to his secretary, tobias lear, in 1794. washington instructed lear to find buyers for his land in western virginia, explaining in a private coda that he was doing so "to liberate a certain species of property which i possess, very repugnantly to my own feelings". the plan, along with others washington considered in 1795 and 1796, could not be realized because he failed to find buyers for his land, his reluctance to break up slave families, and the refusal of the custis heirs to help prevent such separations by freeing their dower slaves at the same time. on july 9, 1799, washington finished making his last will; the longest provision concerned slavery. all his slaves were to be freed after the death of his wife, martha. washington said he did not free them immediately because his slaves intermarried with his wife's dower slaves. he forbade their sale or transportation out of virginia. his will provided that old and young freed people be taken care of indefinitely; younger ones were to be taught to read and write and placed in suitable occupations. washington freed more than 160 slaves, including about 25 he had acquired from his wife's brother bartholomew dandridge in payment of a debt. he was among the few large slave-holding virginians during the revolutionary era who emancipated their slaves. on january 1, 1801, one year after george washington's death, martha washington signed an order to free his slaves. many of them, having never strayed far from mount vernon, were naturally reluctant to try their luck elsewhere; others refused to abandon spouses or children still held as dower slaves (the custis estate) and also stayed with or near martha. following george washington's instructions in his will, funds were used to feed and clothe the young, aged, and infirm slaves until the early 1830s. historical reputation and legacy washington's legacy endures as one of the most influential in american history since he served as commander-in-chief of the continental army, a hero of the revolution, and the first president of the united states. various historians maintain that he also was a dominant factor in america's founding, the revolutionary war, and the constitutional convention. revolutionary war comrade light-horse harry lee eulogized him as "first in war—first in peace—and first in the hearts of his countrymen". lee's words became the hallmark by which washington's reputation was impressed upon the american memory, with some biographers regarding him as the great exemplar of republicanism. he set many precedents for the national government and the presidency in particular, and he was called the "father of his country" as early as 1778. in 1879, congress proclaimed washington's birthday to be a federal holiday. twentieth-century biographer douglas southall freeman concluded, "the great big thing stamped across that man is character." modern historian david hackett fischer has expanded upon freeman's assessment, defining washington's character as "integrity, self-discipline, courage, absolute honesty, resolve, and decision, but also forbearance, decency, and respect for others". washington became an international symbol for liberation and nationalism as the leader of the first successful revolution against a colonial empire. the federalists made him the symbol of their party, but the jeffersonians continued to distrust his influence for many years and delayed building the washington monument. washington was elected a member of the american academy of arts and sciences on january 31, 1781, before he had even begun his presidency. he was posthumously appointed to the grade of general of the armies of the united states during the united states bicentennial to ensure he would never be outranked; this was accomplished by the congressional joint resolution public law 94-479 passed on january 19, 1976, with an effective appointment date of july 4, 1976. on march 13, 1978, washington was militarily promoted to the rank of general of the armies. parson weems wrote a hagiographic biography in 1809 to honor washington. historian ron chernow maintains that weems attempted to humanize washington, making him look less stern, and to inspire "patriotism and morality" and to foster "enduring myths", such as washington's refusal to lie about damaging his father's cherry tree. weems' accounts have never been proven or disproven. historian john ferling, however, maintains that washington remains the only founder and president ever to be referred to as "godlike", and points out that his character has been the most scrutinized by historians, past and present. historian gordon s. wood concludes that "the greatest act of his life, the one that gave him his greatest fame, was his resignation as commander-in-chief of the american forces." chernow suggests that washington was "burdened by public life" and divided by "unacknowledged ambition mingled with self-doubt". a 1993 review of presidential polls and surveys consistently ranked washington number 4, 3, or 2 among presidents. a 2018 siena college research institute survey ranked him number 1 among presidents. in the 21st century, washington's reputation has been critically scrutinized. along with various other founding fathers, he has been condemned for holding enslaved human beings. though he expressed the desire to see the abolition of slavery come through legislation, he did not initiate or support any initiatives for bringing about its end. this has led to calls from some activists to remove his name from public buildings and his statue from public spaces. nonetheless, washington maintains his place among the highest-ranked u.s. presidents, listed second (after lincoln) in a 2021 c-span poll. washington, the constable by gilbert stuart (1797) a drawing from a japanese manuscript of washington fighting a tiger memorials the washington monument in washington, d.c., constructed in the late 19th century jared sparks began collecting and publishing washington's documentary record in the 1830s in life and writings of george washington (12 vols., 1834–1837). the writings of george washington from the original manuscript sources, 1745–1799 (1931–1944) is a 39-volume set edited by john clement fitzpatrick, whom the george washington bicentennial commission commissioned. it contains more than 17,000 letters and documents and is available online from the university of virginia. educational institutions numerous secondary schools are named in honor of washington, as are many universities, including george washington university and washington university in st. louis. places and monuments many places and monuments have been named in honor of washington, most notably the capital of the united states, washington, d.c. the state of washington is the only us state to be named after a president. washington appears as one of four u.s. presidents in a colossal statue by gutzon borglum on mount rushmore in south dakota. currency and postage george washington appears on contemporary u.s. currency, including the one-dollar bill, the presidential one-dollar coin and the quarter-dollar coin (the washington quarter). washington and benjamin franklin appeared on the nation's first postage stamps in 1847. washington has since appeared on many postage issues, more than any other person. washington issue of 1862 washington–franklin issue of 1917 washington quarter dollar george washington presidential one-dollar coin washington on the 1928 dollar bill