The Plantation
Monticello was a 5,000-acre working plantation where over 400 enslaved individuals lived and worked during Jefferson's lifetime.
People Enslaved at Monticello
Learn more about some of the people who lived and worked at Monticello.
Slavery FAQS
Frequently asked questions about People, Property, Life and Work under Slavery at Monticello.
Life of Sally Hemings
Daughter, mother, sister, aunt. Concubine. Negotiator. Liberator. Mystery.
Exploring Freedom & The Legacies of Slavery
Explore the stories of remarkable families and individuals — free and enslaved — from over seven generations, through Monticello's tours, exhibitions, digital resources and special events.
Thomas Jefferson and Slavery
Explore Jefferson's role as a slave owner and the realities of slavery that made the United States.
Videos related to Slavery at Monticello
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"Some visitors think we're trying to knock Jefferson off his pedestal" - A Guide's Perspective
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Overseers and Violence
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Wormley Hughes - Master of Many Trades
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Search 0:22 / 1:41 "The whole machine would move in exact equilibria" - Jefferson Seeks to Perfect the Wheat Harvest
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An Enslaved Mother Leaves Monticello
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A Fight in Monticello's Nailery
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Mary Hemings Bell, an enslaved "common-law wife"
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Ursula Granger, an Enslaved Cook Prepares Food on the Hearth
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James Hemings, an Enslaved Chef Creating French Cuisine
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Picturing Mulberry Row - Understanding slavery at Monticello through this critical component of the greater plantation.
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The Life of Nance Hemings - a Monticello Weaver
Online Exhibitions Related to Slavery
Getting Word: African American Families of Monticello
Hear the stories of the descendants of Monticello's plantation community and trace their families from slavery to the present day.
Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty
How could the author of the Declaration of the Independence own slaves? How could twenty percent of the population of the newly created United States live in bondage? What was life like for enslaved people in the early republic? This exhibition uses Monticello as a lens through which to examine these questions.
Landscape of Slavery: Mulberry Row at Monticello
Explore the live and work of the people, free and enslaved, who lived on Mulberry Row, Monticello's main plantation "street."