Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal,” and yet enslaved more than 600 people over the course of his life.
Thomas Jefferson and the Paradox of Slavery
How could the author of the Declaration of the Independence own slaves? How could twenty percent of the population of the new United States, founded on the principles of liberty and equality, live in bondage? What was life like for enslaved people in the early republic?
The Practice of Slavery at Monticello
The Business of Slavery at Monticello
Videos about Slavery at Monticello

"Some visitors think we're trying to knock Jefferson off his pedestal" - A Guide's Perspective

"Picturing Mulberry Row" - A short video about Monticello's main plantation street

Overseers and Violence at Monticello