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    George Washington's Boy
    George Washington's Boy
    George Washington's Boy
    Ebook192 pages1 hour

    George Washington's Boy

    By Ted Lange

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    About this ebook

    Based on historical fact, George Washingtons Boy, written by Ted Lange, portrays the fight for freedom, the Declaration of Independence, and the first presidency of the United States from the viewpoint of one of George Washingtons closest confident, ironically, his slave, Billy Lee. Billy Lee served his master throughout these monumental times and was privy to the innermost thoughts and actions of Washington.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTrafford Publishing
    Release dateDec 9, 2013
    ISBN9781490717951
    George Washington's Boy
    Author

    Ted Lange

    Ted Lange personifies the Renaissance Man Theatre Award he received from the NAACP. A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Lange’s career has gained global recognition as a gifted actor of stage and screen, revered director, and prolific writer. Lange has penned twenty-four plays, including his historical trilogy George Washington’s Boy, The Journals of Osborne P. Anderson, and Lady Patriot. Other plays include Four Queens—No Trump, a comedy that played to rave reviews and won NAACP Best Play; Lemon Meringue Façade, produced off Broadway in New York; and Behind the Mask, Lange’s one-man show on the life of Paul Laurence Dunbar, which toured nationwide. Additional plays are Evil Legacy—the Story of Lucretia Borgia and Born a Unicorn, a musical about Ira Aldridge. Lange garnered worldwide fame for his portrayal of Isaac from The Love Boat.

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      Book preview

      George Washington's Boy - Ted Lange

      George Washington’s

      Boy

      TED LANGE

      Order this book online at www.trafford.com

      or email orders@trafford.com

      Most Trafford titles are also available at major online book retailers.

      © Copyright 2013 Ted Lange.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

      ISBN: 978-1-4907-1794-4 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4907-2084-5 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4907-1795-1 (e)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Trafford rev. 11/26/2013

      21520.png    www.trafford.com

      North America & international

      toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

      fax: 812 355 4082

      Contents

      The Setting

      Author’s Notes

      George Washington’s Boy

      ACT I

      Scene I

      Scene II

      Scene III

      Scene IV

      Scene V

      Scene VI

      Scene VII

      Scene VIII

      Scene IX

      Scene X

      ACT II

      Scene I

      Scene II

      Scene III

      Scene IV

      Scene V

      Scene VI

      Scene VII

      Scene VIII

      Scene IX

      Scene X

      Scene XI

      Scene XII

      Bibliography

      Dedicated to

      John Bishop

      And

      to my sons

      Ted IV and Turner

      And

      to my wife

      Mary

      Thanks

      To Tom Whayne, my high school drama teacher

      And

      To Tay McArthur, my high school history teacher

      And

      To Kay Ley, my favorite editor.

      George Washington’s Boy opened February 3, 2007, at the Horse Shoe Theatre at Los Angeles Valley College, Los Angeles, California with the following cast:

      George Washington’s Boy opened August 2, 2007, at the Sawtooth Center, in Winston/Salem, North Carolina, at the National Black Theatre Festival with the following cast:

      The Setting

      Act I

      It is the night before Christmas, 1776. George Washington prepares to fight for freedom from the British as his slave, Billy Lee, struggles to read about freedom. Washington decides to cross the Delaware and attack Trenton. Under the backdrop of the Revolutionary War, Washington sets up winter camp at Morristown, Pennsylvania. Washington continues to teach Billy Lee to read, as he manages his army, and tries to boost the morale of his troops. Billy Lee strives to read so that he might learn more about the philosophy of war and the Americans fight for freedom even as they subject his people to slavery. Washington falls ill and almost dies in Morristown. He is saved by the speedy intervention of Martha Washington and her favorite cook, Hercules. Billy shares with some of the other slaves what he has learned about freedom from Washington and reading books about chivalry. Billy realizes that freedom is a right for all Americans and begins to plot his escape. Washington recovers from his near death experience and Billy Lee faces death to escape to freedom.

      Act II

      Fourteen years later, the war is over. The Americans have won their fight for freedom but all Americans are not free—slavery is still legal. Washington, the First President of the United States, maintains a residency in New York. Billy Lee, crippled from his attempt for freedom, continues to serve Washington. Washington struggles with his own philosophies as an advocate for freedom while continuing to own slaves. The spirit of freedom has grown and even though Billy Lee feels he can no longer physically run, other slaves from the Washington household begin to claim their freedom. Billy Lee falls in love with a free black woman, Margaret Thomas. They marry, but as Billy Lee is still a slave, they must live in the slave quarters at Mount Vernon. The hope for freedom is ever present as Billy Lee attends Washington on his death bed and Billy reads his final will.

      Author’s Notes

      A history teacher once told me that history is written by the victors. My teacher implied that traditional textbooks present only one side of the story and there is another side to be told. Being black in America, I was sure these untold stories would include my culture and ancestry. So began my love of history and the search for the seeds that were not sown.

      I was on a flight from Los Angeles to New York to spend Thanksgiving with my sons and cook them Thanksgiving dinner. They were both going to college in the Big Apple and while on the flight, I read His Excellency, George Washington, by Joseph J. Ellis. The author mentioned Washington’s slave, William Lee. I never knew that Washington had a personal slave, also known, at that time, as a valet or body servant. While in New York, I also happened to visit The Metropolitan Museum because I wanted to see the painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware. By happenstance, I saw Joseph Trumbull’s 1780 painting of George Washington. In the right hand corner behind the horse, there is a slave. I realized that this must be William Lee. When I saw this portrait, I was intrigued. Here he was again. Who was William Lee? He must have been someone of importance to have his portrait painted with Washington… yet, I’d never heard about him until this trip to New York. Also, as an actor, I’m always looking for a character that I could play. Maybe William Lee could be the one? And so my quest began to learn about this slave who was the personal valet to Washington. Who was this slave who witnessed the architects of a new American nation fighting for their freedom while imprisoning their own slaves? What was his untold story?

      Even though American historical research from 1776-1799

      is voluminous and even though the facts confirm the existence of slaves, their personal stories are rare. Many were dehumanized under the guise of labels such as personal valets or body servants, but they

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