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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Tassanee Vejpongsa and Holly Ramer

Advocates celebrate 230th anniversary of Ona Judge's escape from enslavement by George Washington

Ona Judge Anniversary - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

From her footprints in Philadelphia to her face in New Hampshire, advocates for telling the whole truth of American history are celebrating Ona Judge and her daring escape from slavery 230 years ago.

Judge, who was born into slavery on George Washington’s plantation, was 22 years old when she slipped away from the president’s official residence in Philadelphia on May 21, 1796. She hid on a boat that carried her to New Hampshire, where she later married and had three children.

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