Welcome to the companion website for the book Between Freedom and Equality, the moving story of six generations of one of the founding families of Washington, DC. It reveals surprising truths about the experience of being a Black person from the early days of the United States to the 20th century. The purpose of this website is to help history teachers supplement their curriculum so that their students can see history through the eyes of one extended family.
Explore the life of George Pointer and his descendants, starting from the days that Pointer bought his freedom through work for George Washington…
The Remarkable Lives of George Pointer and His Family: Introduction
“I was born in the year A.D. 1773 11th of October in Frederick County Maryland. I was born a slave and continued one for 19 years.”
— Captain George Pointer
From Slavery to Freedom in Colonial Maryland: Chapter 1
A 13-year old George Pointer was rented to George Washington’s Potomac Company, and worked to buy his freedom.
The Risks of Freedom in a Slave State: Chapter 2
George Pointer’s bought his freedom in 1793, expanding the boundaries of his life, but it did not remove them.
Nat Turner’s Long Shadow: Chapter 3
The 18th century Haitian revolution made American slave owners fearful and thirty years later Nat Turner’s rebellion made their fears real.
Learn how the Nat Turner rebellion changed the lives of both Black and white Americans >>
The Gathering Storm: Chapter 4
When Mary Ann Harris’ family moved to rural Washington County in the District it was sparsely populated with scattered plantations. But it could not provide a permanent shield against the gathering storms of war.
Civil War: DC’s First Regiment of US Colored Troops: Chapter 5
The two eldest sons of Mary Harris enlisted in the Union Army. When Confederate troops invaded the District, the Harris farm was caught in a line of skirmishes.
See how prejudice shaped the experience of Black soldiers in the Civil War >>
Reconstruction and Retreat: Chapter 6
The population of the District of Columbia grew substantially during the war. The creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau changed the lives of Black residents.
Learn about the surprising changes to Black lives after the war >>
Georgetown and a Black Middle Class: Chapter 7
Within five years after the Civil War, three of the Harris brothers moved to Georgetown; they found good jobs, and then lived near one another for many years.
The Lure of New York: Chapter 8
After the Civil War, a limited but steady number of Black Southerners migrated to New York looking for work, including two of the Harris sons.
Learn more about life for Southern Black people in post-war New York >>
Dry Meadows and the Encroaching City: Chapter 9
With the ever-increasing population in the District came the need for more housing, and by the end of the 19th century, developers were buying up large farm properties to subdivide for white buyers.
Learn more about how white development threatened Black neighborhoods >>
Epilogue
What has become of George Pointers’ descendants and the Pointer family land?
About the Book
Between Freedom and Equality begins with the life of Capt. George Pointer, an enslaved African American who purchased his freedom in 1793 while working for George Washington’s Potomac Company.
Authors Barbara Boyle Torrey and Clara Myrick Green then follow the lives of five generations of Pointer’s descendants as they lived and worked on the banks of the Potomac, in the port of Georgetown, and in a rural corner of the nation’s capital.
By tracing the story of one family and their experiences, Between Freedom and Equality offers a moving and inspiring look at the challenges that free African Americans have faced in Washington, DC, since before the district’s founding.