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Although George Washington's private views on slavery changed after the Revolutionary War, he was a typical slave owner throughout his life, and he always publicly supported slave owners' rights and condemned abolition. First of all, unsurprisingly, Washington was a racist. He believed that blacks were ignorant, lazy, dishonest, and unscrupulous. Also, he was never bothered by slavery before the Revolution.
Perhaps fighting alongside blacks during the war changed Washington's private views on slavery, or it may simply have ben the realization that slavery was an economic burden. For whatever reason, after the war, he admitted that slavery should be abolished. However, he would only support very gradual abolition. In the 1770's, Washington also expressed the belief that slavery was morally wrong. Despite these views, Washington never publicly supported abolition, and the only action he took during his presidency concerning slavery strengthened the institution; he signed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 into law.
Washington also owned slaves his entire life. Even after the Revolutionary War, his slave population continued to grow, and he continued to participate in the slave trade. His slaves did not enjoy good living conditions. They lived in shacks and were fed so little that they once petitioned their master for more food. Washington also allowed his slaves to be whipped for recalcitrance or laziness. However, in his will, Washington manumitted (freed) all his slaves, and he granted his body servant a $30 annual annuity as well as stipulating that the old and ill who could not support themselves be given food, shelter, and clothing by his heirs (Ferling).
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