Giving Voice

An effort in 1993 was made by Monticello historians to glean more information from the descendants of the enslaved at the estate. Over 200 interviews were conducted, with the goal to collect personal accounts of the African-American families who lived at Jefferson’s Virginia plantation, from their descendants. This oral history project was furthered in recent years, reaching a peak with a 2016 public summit titled “Memory, Mourning, Mobilization: Legacies of Slavery and Freedom in America.”

Getty Images.

–THIS SPACE BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –

The summit opened with the following bold, chilling statement: “My ancestors were enslaved at Monticello. Generations of people bound to the earth, by blood and by law.” This gathering of people indicated just how many families had been impacted by the plantation, and in turn, by Thomas Jefferson. Finally, those who had been slaves were given a voice, to tell their story, albeit hundreds of years later.