A Library Journal Top 10 Nonfiction Editors' Pick for 2003 A Main Selection of the History Book Club When George Washington wrote his will, he made the startling decision to free his slaves, having earlier said that slaveholding was his "only unavoidable subject of regret." After groundbreaking original research, historian Henry Wiencek explores Washington's engagement with slavery at every stage of his life - as Virginia planter, soldier, politician, president, and statesman - documenting for the first time the moral transformation culminating in Washington's decision.