The enslaved people of America, who had been brought over from Africa and the Caribbean as part of the slave trade, wanted to be free to live as they chose. In 1773 the colonists in America-those people who lived in what would be the original thirteen states of the US-decided they wanted to be free from the British government making all their laws. Strangely enough, the American colonies and the American slaves were engaged in a similar quest for freedom. ONA’S STORY BEGINS IN VIRGINIA around 1773, when the United States is not yet the United States, and slavery is considered acceptable by many of the white people who live in what comprises the first thirteen colonies. Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge CHAPTER ONE AMERICA’S DAUGHTER When she was told that she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to flee to the north, where she would be a fugitive.įrom her childhood, to her time with the Washingtons and living in the slave quarters, to her escape to New Hampshire, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, along with Kathleen Van Cleve, shares an intimate glimpse into the life of a little-known, but powerful figure in history, and her brave journey as she fled the most powerful couple in the country. In this incredible narrative, Erica Armstrong Dunbar reveals a fascinating and heartbreaking behind-the-scenes look at the Washingtons when they were the First Family-and an in-depth look at their slave, Ona Judge, who dared to escape from one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.īorn into a life of slavery, Ona Judge eventually grew up to be George and Martha Washington’s “favored” dower slave.

“Accessible…Necessary.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Ī National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction, Never Caught is the eye-opening narrative of Ona Judge, George and Martha Washington’s runaway slave, who risked everything for a better life-now available as a young reader’s edition! “A brilliant work of US history.” - School Library Journal (starred review)

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