13. Slaves Were Free to Practice Religion
George Washington wasn’t prominent on religion. In fact, he lived near a church that he never attended. Washington, along with many other Founding Fathers, didn’t feel that religion should run this country and didn’t want to establish the state on religious principles. However, Washington also felt that people should have their freedom to choose their religion and continue to develop the cultural beliefs from their homeland. Washington gave this freedom to slaves at Mount Vernon.
The slaves at Mount Vernon practiced both European and African religion. They would not only practice religion at the slave quarters in Mount Vernon, but some took part in church activities near the plantation. One of the slaves worked to become a spiritual leader for the other slaves living on Mount Vernon. Some of the religious diversity the estate saw was Baptists, Quakers, and Methodist. On top of this, research shows that some slaves practiced African religions, Vodoun, and Islam.