"In November 1800, First Lady Abigail Adams stood at a window of the White House and saw a small gang of slaves clearing dirt and rubbish from her yard. In a November 28 letter to a friend in Massachusetts, she opined dismissively: 'I have amused myself from day to day in looking at the labor of 12 negroes from my window who are employed with four small Horse carts to remove some dirt in front of the house; the four carts are all loaded at the same time and whilst four carry this rubbish about a half a mile, the remaining eight rest upon their shovels; two of our hardy N. England men would do as much work in a day as the whole 12.'"
Quote from Slave Labor in the Capital, page 18
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