Q: A recent AJC letter from a reader made many claims about slavery, including that Ulysses S. Grant had slaves and didn’t free them until after Robert E. Lee had freed his slaves. When did Lee free his slaves and how many did he own?
—Jim Modrak, Conyers
A: Lee disliked slavery, but inherited Arlington, a plantation, and slaves from George Washington Parke Custis, his wife's father, who had been raised by George and Martha Washington, and built the plantation.
“Custis stipulated that all the Arlington slaves should be freed upon his death if the estate was found to be in good financial standing or within five years,” Arlington’s National Park Service website states. He died in 1857 and Lee “forever set free” the slaves in a handwritten four-page document dated Jan. 2 1863, according to Encyclopedia Virginia (encyclopediavirginia.org), which is run in partnership with the University of Virginia.
The Lees had been forced to leave Arlington in May 1861, after the start of the Civil War. Custis had owned up to 200 slaves, but Lee named 23 slaves in the document.
Q: How many undocumented illegal immigrant children from Central America have been deported?
—B.J. Cadenhead, Snellville
A: Deportations of undocumented Central American children have increased this month. The U.S. returned 12 girls and nine boys to Honduras on July 14, and more than 40 children were returned to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador on July 18. More than 57,000 undocumented children, most from Central America, who entered the country from last October through June, are being detained in the U.S.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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