Washington documents donated to Mount Vernon

CNN Producer Brad Wright

MOUNT VERNON, Va. (CNN) -- Using the President's Day holiday as a backdrop, the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company donated two documents signed by George Washington to historic Mount Vernon, the site of Washington's home.

The documents were formally handed over during a ceremony on the lawn next to the Mount Vernon mansion, home of the man who led the Continental Army to an improbable victory for independence and was the first president of the United States.

The documents are dated May 5, 1758 and are considered extremely valuable because they have five Washington signatures. The documents actually verify Washington's court testimony in a legal proceeding against an army officer accused of mistreating soldiers. The documents are said to offer insight into Washington's development as a young military officer.

The U.S. Postal Service used the occasion to unveil a new 20 cent postage stamp which depicts a photograph of a famous bust of Washington.

Marking the festivities were the fife and drum corps of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry known as the "Old Guard," as well as a unit dressed in period uniforms which demonstrated battlefield tactics used by the Continental Army against the British during the Revolutionary War.

The festivities were part of President's Day weekend celebrations which include commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the emancipation of Washington's slaves. He inherited some slaves from his father and records show that he bought about 50 slaves between 1754 and 1772.

Mt Vernon's historians say as the Revolutionary War progressed, Washington began to change his mind about slavery and he eventually resolved never to buy or sell another one. In 1797, Washington wrote to a man named Lawrence Lewis saying "I wish from my soul that the legislature of this State could see a policy of gradual abolition of slavery."

During his Presidency, Washington is said to have privately encouraged members of Congress to seek legislative remedies to slavery. However, Washington's own slaves were not freed January 1, 1801, more than a year after his death.

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