MOUNT VERNON, Va. — It is the unavoidable Achilles’ heel in the reputation of George Washington and so many other Founding Fathers: that men who risked their lives to protect their nation’s liberty were also slaveholders.

That dichotomy will be explored in a new exhibit at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, in a museum space previously dedicated to exhibitions featuring Washington’s furniture, fineries and his penchant for dining on syrupy hoecakes.

The $750,000 exhibition, Lives Bound Together, will explore hard truths about Washington’s life as a slaveholder, including an acknowledgement that Washington’s adopted son likely fathered a child with one of the family’s slaves.

Mount Vernon has not shied away from explorations of slavery: In 2007, the estate reconstructed a slave cabin on the grounds about a mile from the iconic mansion. And Mount Vernon has worked to maintain good relations with the descendants of Mount Vernon slaves, many of whom still live in the area.