- Edward Rothstein, the museum critic for The New York Times (3-Mar-2011), discusses how Charleston, SC is beginning to confront its participation and role in the history of American slavery.
Charleston was one of the main colonial ports of the 18th century, dealing in rice, indigo, and slaves.
Among other sites, he looks at Drayton Hall, Middleton Place, and the Old Slave Mart Museum.
Edward Rothstein on Charleston Slave Sites
Washington’s refusal to accept a salary for his services was emblematic of his somewhat ostentatious public virtue. He did open a public expense account, however, and some have claimed that he made money from it by overcharging Congress. In fact, the £150 per month that he requested for expenses was not just for him, but also for his entourage, which sometimes swelled to a crowd. His account books, which still exist, list charges for things like ferry fares, innkeepers’ fees, candlesticks, saddle repair, meat, fruit, mounds of cabbages and beets, and (admittedly) oceans of grog, liquor, and wine. Washington even charged Congress for fifteen shillings Cash paid a beggar by the General’s order.
But although he was not averse to placing his headquarters in the occasional mansion, he otherwise made do with precious few luxuries.