tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post6260162323984169123..comments2024-03-28T04:26:30.557-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: Unabashed Gossip from William NorthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-22024626848945147052023-03-12T12:18:26.513-05:002023-03-12T12:18:26.513-05:00What's not to love? Indiscreet, scandalous gos...What's not to love? Indiscreet, scandalous gossip. Need to consult genealogical records to untangle those intermarrying Southerners. Punning--so 18th century and so maligned as the lowest form of humor--but I love it. The response of Mount Vernon reminds us all to do what many prominent figures from the past did--destroy all inappropriate records wheter paper or electronic!<br />Jayne Tribernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-29578264875093558712023-03-09T17:59:00.469-05:002023-03-09T17:59:00.469-05:00I think the line about humping was North playing o...I think the line about humping was North playing off a young man’s stereotype of southern plantations like Mount Vernon as a place where white men could have sex with the enslaved workers, by physical force or other coercion. He was making a tasteless joke to his friend, like joshing young men in many times. <br /><br />Two details take us beyond that stereotype, though. First, North wrote that he did <i>not</i> have sex with Washington’s slaves. Now we know from other examples, such as John Custis and John Augustine Washington, that men in George Washington’s family did have sex and father children with enslaved women on their own estates. But not for this visitor to Mount Vernon, at least. <br /><br />Another wrinkle is that many historians have guessed that the author and recipient of this letter, William North and Benjamin Walker, were either lovers during the Revolutionary War or had mutual male lovers in the Steuben circle. So was North really expecting to “hump” an enslaved woman—or an enslaved man? Was his mention of that rumored plantation practice bravado as he moved to take on the role of a straight man looking for women and ultimately a wife? J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-20691304891120062132023-03-09T17:48:02.345-05:002023-03-09T17:48:02.345-05:00Indeed, Charlie, it‘s clear why a Mount Vernon off...Indeed, Charlie, it‘s clear why a Mount Vernon official would want to be clear that the “George Washington” for whom this woman was reserved was not the general but her fiancée. All very respectable. <br /><br />Because otherwise a person might read “George Washington” and think George Washington. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-1876794644008893892023-03-09T17:44:45.549-05:002023-03-09T17:44:45.549-05:00Don, the usual phrase is of course “O tempora! O m...Don, the usual phrase is of course “O tempora! O mores!” But North definitely wrote “Moses” with a long s. I read that as another sign that he’s joking around with his friend. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-72039989050863693092023-03-09T17:29:06.820-05:002023-03-09T17:29:06.820-05:00I have not hump’d a single molatto? Explain I have not hump’d a single molatto? Explain Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-13370565183618732862023-03-09T16:08:20.110-05:002023-03-09T16:08:20.110-05:00I think the most interesting thing about the lette...I think the most interesting thing about the letter -- or at least about how it's posted on the Historical Society of Pennsylvania website -- is the 1969 letter from the Director of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Not only does the Mount Vernon director point out that the "George Washington" mentioned in the letter is not the General and future President; he also insists that his own letter of clarification be filed alogside the "original ambiguous incomplete manuscript". No, we can't have "uninformed muckraker[s]" slandering the Father of our Country.<br /><br />John, you've always said that your blog features unabashed gossip, and with this salacious piece you've certainly hit your target. Bravo!<br /><br />P.S. - Too bad the Historical Society hasn't posted a higher resolution image.<br />Charles Bahnenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-32126643862818359702023-03-09T08:52:20.047-05:002023-03-09T08:52:20.047-05:00Regarding your transcription of a difficult docume...Regarding your transcription of a difficult document, I am wondering if the line is not "O tempore, O Mores?" or is North making a pun of some sort with Mores/Moses?<br /><br />Don Carletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06977791775241034849noreply@blogger.com