George Washington's legacy on slavery

+ caffeine and naps can't beat sleep for peak performance US Edition - Today's top story: What Florida gets wrong about George Washington and the benefits he received from enslaving Black people [View in browser]( US Edition | 17 August 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [NASA Psyche asteroid mission to probe metal world]( - [Musk, Zuckerberg and the power of physical strength in masculinity]( - [Much more than abortion was at stake in Ohio Issue 1 vote]( Lead story With all the debate raging in Florida on how slavery should be taught in public schools, it is always good to distinguish old-fashioned facts from modern-day political spin. Such is the case in Florida, where state school officials want to paint George Washington as a key figure in the quest to end slavery. Nothing could be further from the truth. As historian of slavery Calvin Schermerhorn from Arizona State University explains, Washington owned 577 Black people over the course of 50 years and kept detailed records on how they were treated and, in some cases, rewarded for overseeing other enslaved people. But for the majority of those enslaved, including those with skills in carpentry or delivering babies, the [benefits they may have received did not include freedom](. “If there was anyone who knew the rewards of slavery, it was George Washington,” Schermerhorn writes. “My research has shown that Washington’s efforts to free Black pale in comparison to how he fought to keep Black people enslaved.” [ [Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails).]( Howard Manly Race + Equity Editor In this 1853 painting, George Washington stands among Black field workers. Buyenlarge/Getty Images [What Florida gets wrong about George Washington and the benefits he received from enslaving Black people]( Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University Florida’s new standards for teaching social studies include throwbacks to an interpretation of slavery as benign or inconsequential. Health + Medicine - [Can coffee or a nap make up for sleep deprivation? A psychologist explains why there’s no substitute for shut-eye]( Kimberly Fenn, Michigan State University While a cup of joe or a brief nap during an all-nighter might help you feel a little more alert, it won’t offset cognitive impairments from sleep deprivation when you’re performing complex tasks. Ethics + Religion - [Images of Jesus have always been complex and contradictory − this class looks at how pop culture imagines him, from cartoons to musicals]( Jeannie Sellick, Bowdoin College Is Jesus a peacemaker or a warrior? A socialist or a capitalist? 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