Preserve the account of enslaved labor and Anderson's management. The claim that emancipation caused commercial failure is the author's interpretation, not established by this passage. Mount Vernon's institutional history dates emancipation to January 1, 1801; the book's December 1800 date needs correction. An 1814 fire does not prove continuous production until 1814.
The section separates ownership, management, and production labor, then follows the distillery through Washington’s death and the freeing of some enslaved workers.
At Mount Vernon, James Anderson managed the distillery, but Washington’s enslaved workers performed the whiskey-making labor; Rothbaum argues that the operation’s later failure shows its economic dependence on that coerced workforce.
Displayed p. 71–73 / complete PDF sheets 167–172
American Whiskey — Mount Vernon
Whole-copy audit: complete 1,664-sheet PDF, sheets 167–172. Retained 498-sheet partial locator: 166–170. Verified denotes source fidelity, not independent factual confirmation. Preserve the account of enslaved labor and Anderson's management. The claim that emancipation caused commercial failure is the author's interpretation, not established by this passage. Mount Vernon's institutional history dates emancipation to January 1, 1801; the book's December 1800 date needs correction. An 1814 fire does not prove continuous production until 1814.
Evidence
At Mount Vernon, James Anderson managed the distillery, but Washington’s enslaved workers performed the whiskey-making labor; Rothbaum argues that the operation’s later failure shows its economic dependence on that coerced workforce.
Location and context
American Whiskey — Mount Vernon. Displayed p. 71–73; complete supplied PDF sheets 167–172. Earlier partial-copy sheets 166–170 remain archival locators only.
Critical assessment
Preserve the account of enslaved labor and Anderson's management. The claim that emancipation caused commercial failure is the author's interpretation, not established by this passage. Mount Vernon's institutional history dates emancipation to January 1, 1801; the book's December 1800 date needs correction. An 1814 fire does not prove continuous production until 1814.
Verification boundary
The passage has been read in context during the complete supplied-copy review. Source fidelity is verified; factual corroboration and proposed Academy application remain distinct. Existing Source, Literature Note, citation and claim relations are preserved. No public course placement was changed.