quest to retake Ona. But times had continued to change, and George had still not fully taken into account how much attitudes toward slavery were shifting, particularly with politicians such as John. For example, John had officially switched political parties, moving from the Federalists (George Washington's party) to the Democratic-Republicans (the political party headed, at the time, by Thomas Jefferson). George ignored this. It seemed that he was the only person unable to get over the past: Ona had been gone for almost three years, yet he was determined to get her back. He was certain John Langdon would support him in this venture, and he insisted on continuing his absurd claim that Ona had been "enticed away by a Frenchman." In the same stubborn spirit, he alsomaintained his position that he would not allow Ona to negotiate for her own freedom, writing that it would set a "dangerous precedent."

Burwell Bassett set out for New Hampshire and did indeed stay with the Langdons during his time in Portsmouth. Burwell discovered that not only had John Langdon switched political parties, but he had publicly expressed reservations about including slavery in the US Constitution. All the Langdon family slaves had been freed and then rehired as paid laborers. Despite all this, Burwell could not believe that John Langdon would not help him and his uncle George in their effort to capture Ona. After all, Burwell reasoned, John did not refer to himself as a leader in the early antislavery movement. When Burwell arrived in Portsmouth, he must