Was George Washington one of the largest slave owners in America?

George Washington was one of the largest slave owners in Virginia, where he inherited and acquired enslaved people throughout his life. By the time of his death in 1799, he owned 317 enslaved individuals. Although he was not among the absolute largest slave owners in America, his plantation-based wealth and status contributed to the institution of slavery in the early United States. Washington's complex legacy includes both his role as a founding father and the ethical implications of his slave ownership.