Topic: Slavery
Enslaved Craftsmen
Mulberry Row is a 1,000 foot ‘street’ at Monticello. It was named for its mulberry trees. Many skilled slaves worked on Mulberry Row. In 1796, there were log and stone homes and storage sheds for wood, charcoal and iron along Mulberry Row. There was a wash house, smokehouse, dairy, blacksmith shop/nailery, joinery, carpenter’s shop, and…
Every Coin has Two Sides
In this lesson students will develop an understanding of historical perspective. The students will use the nickel as a metaphor for gaining an understaning to the paradox of Thomas Jefferson and...
Executor’s Sale
This newspaper notice announced the sale of Thomas Jefferson’s personal property in 1827. Because Jefferson owed roughly $110,000 when he died, his estate had to be sold to pay his...Exploring Monticello: A Guide for Young People
An illustrated brochure developed for younger visitors to Monticello. Includes fun and interesting facts about Jefferson and his plantation, and introduces members of Jefferson's family and the enslaved community through their daily activities and work.
Farm Laborers
On his plantation, Jefferson grew and harvested many crops. He used “gangs of half men and half women” to work in his fields. For thirty years, tobacco was the main ‘cash crop’. Slaves planted the seeds, weeded the fields, and hoed the soil. Later, they picked the leaves and hung them to dry. In the…
Forging Independence within the Confines of Plantation Life
Over the course of his lifetime, Thomas Jefferson owned over six hundred enslaved African Americans. While he only freed a small handful –either during his life, or upon his death–...
Foundation of 1809 Stone House
Foundation of a stone house, intended as quarters for enslaved workers, that once stood along Mulberry Row.Frances (Fanny) Gillette Hern, an enslaved cook
Frances (Fanny) Hern was the daughter of Edward and Jane Gillette. She had twelve brothers and sisters. The family worked as field slaves at Monticello. Fanny married David (Davy) Hern. He was an enslaved blacksmith and wagon driver. In 1806, Thomas Jefferson picked Fanny to come to the White House. At the time, he was…
Francis Kinloch to Jefferson
This South Carolina planter reacted to Jefferson’s view that “the minds of our citizens may be ripening for a complete emancipation.” In the Carolina low country, slaves vastly outnumbered their...