Thomas Jefferson has long been considered one of the brightest political minds from our nation’s founding generation- not to mention he is often referred to as the author of the Declaration of Independence. Of course, similar to other founding fathers, his legacy is far more interesting and complex than what is at the surface. His involvement with foreign policy, controversy with Alexander Hamilton, two terms as the 3rd President of the United States, fascinating relationship with John Adams, and role as a slave owner are just a few of the things that make up who Thomas Jefferson was and who he is remembered as. In the end, much of his life revolved around his beloved estate: Monticello.
History
The word “Monticello” means “little mountain” or “hillock” in Italian and was the name given by Thomas Jefferson for his mountaintop estate (it is pronounced “Monti-chello”). Jefferson’s earliest known reference to his house as Monticello occurred in his garden book on August 3, 1767, where he wrote: “inoculated common cherry buds into stocks of large kind at Monticello.” Interestingly, it is believed that he may have retroactively changed old records and entries to “Monticello,” which means that the exact moment he first named his estate Monticello may never truly be known.
Jefferson inherited the land (approximately 5,000 acres) on which his estate would be built when he was in his mid twenties and construction began on his estate in 1768. At that point in his life, he had already graduated from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and was an established member of Virginian society. Jefferson treasured his education and his collection of books, which played a central role throughout his life and at Monticello. Regrettably, he lost much of his original collection given to him by his father and his mentor, George Wythe, during a fire at his home at the Shadwell Plantation (where he was born and lived prior to Monticello). In 1767, Jefferson was admitted to the bar and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1769 until 1775.
By 1770, Jefferson moved into the South Pavilion while construction continued on the rest of the estate. In 1772, he married Martha Wayles Skelton (his third cousin), who joined him at Monticello. Over the next 10 years, they had six children together; however, only two daughters, Martha “Patsy” and Mary “Polly” survived to adulthood. When Jefferson’s father-in-law died in 1773, he and Martha inherited 135 slaves along with his estate debts.
When the American Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, Jefferson was elected to the Second Continental Congress, which convened in Philadelphia. At 33-years-old, he was one of the youngest delegates and undoubtedly excited to be a part of the movement. Despite being away from his beloved Monticello during this time, he was elected as the commander of the Albermarle County Militia in September 1775. In September 1776, he joined the Virginia House of Delegates and for the next few years, played a pivotal role in the establishment of Virginia as a state.
In 1779 and 1780, he was elected as the Governor of Virginia for one year terms, which proved to be fraught with controversy and dismay. During his tenure as Governor, traitor Benedict Arnold, now wearing a British military uniform, raided Virginia and the new state capital of Richmond. Upon learning about the British incursion, Governor Jefferson ordered that all of the public records and military stores be removed. Additionally, despite his call for militia, General Arnold and his troops handily defeated the few men who gathered in defense and raided the state capitol. For the remainder of his public career, Jefferson faced scrutiny for his actions during these troubling times.
In May 1782, Thomas and Martha welcomed a child, which proved to be a very difficult pregnancy for Martha. Her health continued to decline in the following months and on September 6, 1782, she died at the age of 33. Thomas took her death extremely hard (fellow Virginian, Edmund Randolph, wrote that Jefferson was “inconsolable” following her loss). In the following years, he left Monticello to serve in a variety of political roles, which was likely difficult to be away from his beloved estate; however, it was probably a welcome distraction in the wake of losing his Martha.
On May 17, 1784, Thomas Jefferson was appointed as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Versailles in France by the Confederation Congress. He traveled to France and joined Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, who would both soon leave (he brought along his eldest daughter, Patsy). Over the next five years, he was joined by his youngest daughter, Polly, who was accompanied by 14-year-old slave Sally Hemings. Her brother, James Hemings, was already serving the Jefferson family in France. James learned French cooking, Sally was educated in domestic practices, and both learned the French language. Perhaps the largest controversy surrounding Thomas Jefferson is that he may have fathered multiple children born to Sally Hemings (detailed information and reports on this matter can be viewed on Monticello’s website here).
On November 23, 1789, Thomas Jefferson returned to the United States. From March 22, 1790 until December 31, 1793, he served as the First Secretary of State under President George Washington. He resigned his cabinet position largely due to disagreements with Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Yet Jefferson’s retirement from politics was brief- from 1797 to 1801, he served as Vice President under President John Adams and of course, served as the Third President of the United States from March 4, 1801 until March 4, 1809. After years serving his nation, Thomas Jefferson finally retired to Monticello, where he spent the final 17 years of his life.
Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, and was buried in the Monticello Family Graveyard on the grounds of his estate. Interestingly, his longtime friend and political rival, John Adams, died on the exact same day. Most accounts state that John Adams’ last words were something to the effect of “Jefferson lives,” although Thomas Jefferson actually died earlier in the day (primary sources state that Adams’ last words were about Jefferson, though the exact phrasing is not necessarily agreed upon).
Interesting Facts
- Approximately 90% of Monticello is structurally original, making it one of the most authentic
- Monticello took more than 40 years to build to Jefferson’s exact specifications (one wonders if he was ever fully satisfied).
- Jefferson lived at Monticello the entire last 17 years of his life. When he died in 1826, he was about $100,000 in debt.
- Thomas Jefferson died on Independence Day- July 4, 1826. His old friend, John Adams, died on the exact same day.
Our Visit to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
We began our visit to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center and Smith Education Center (1050 Monticello Loop, Charlottesville, VA). Here you can purchase your tickets for the house and grounds and it is also where you will board a shuttle, which will drive you up the mountain to the house itself. While you wait for the shuttle, be sure to get a picture with the statue of Jefferson!
When we arrived at the mountaintop, we departed the shuttle and were brought to a waiting area for a few minutes before being led up to the front door of the house itself.
The first room on the house tour is the Entrance Hall, which displays a myriad of fascinating articles and reproduction Native American artifacts, similar to what was gifted to Jefferson by Lewis and Clark following their expedition. There are multiple sets of antlers, busts, animal bones, maps, and unique Native American items on display. Interestingly, the only artifact that is original from that expedition is a set of antlers, which are on display.
You will find yourself wanting to spend a great deal of time in this room, viewing all of the fascinating items and looking at the maps. To me, the most amazing thing within this room is the intricate clock system, which uses a set of counter-weights (they look like cannonballs) and signs on the wall to control a two-way clock (both indoors and outdoors) and the day of the week. This invention was created by Jefferson himself and is one of the most fascinating pieces at Monticello. The pictures below so one side of the system, with the various days of the week spelled out on the wall.
The next room on the tour is the South Square Family Sitting Room, which is coated in a calming pale blue color. This small room is well laid out and was designed as a space for the family to relax, read, and enjoy time together. Specifically, this space was used by Jefferson’s daughter, Patsy, as a sitting room. She also met with many of the household slaves here to dole out daily tasks.
My favorite item in this room is the portrait of Thomas Jefferson, which hangs above the fireplace. This small oil painting of Jefferson was done by renowned artist Gilbert Stuart in 1805 (Monticello’s website boasts that it is “one of the most compelling portraits of Thomas Jefferson”).
After the South Square Family Sitting Room, we proceeded to my favorite room at Monticello: the Library. This space is smaller than I anticipated, though still elegant and relaxing (due to its small size, I was unable to capture any pictures of the entire space). After Jefferson sold most of his books to Congress in 1815, this space became his personal library and sitting room. It is believed that he used this space to receive his mail, read, and of course, house his books and other items of interest.
Some of the coolest artifacts on display in the library are the astronomical tall (“grandfather”) clock, octagonal table, and original chairs. I wanted to spend quite some time in this space perusing each book title and observing all of the architectural details of the furniture; however, the tour keeps a steady pace and we had to move on to the next room.
After the library, we proceeded into a space known as the “Cabinet,” which would’ve served as Jefferson’s office and study. The accurately depicted dark green colors of this space gives off a balanced and revitalized feeling, which was certainly what Jefferson was going for. On display are a few scientific apparatus, more books, a globe, and other items that were important to Jefferson.
From here, this space flows directly into the private bed chamber of Thomas Jefferson. This was where he slept, dressed, and kept many personal possessions. There are a few unique architectural features in this space, to include Jefferson’s alcove bed, which is open on both sides (you can see his study on the other side), a skylight in the ceiling, and a pale blue wall color. It was here in this room where Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826.
After the bed chamber, the tour proceeded to the parlor. This common space was used by the Jefferson family to play games, host guests, and to carry out social events for visitors. This space is noted for its numerous busts and remarkable paintings, which adorn the walls. This includes paintings of the Marquis de Lafayette and of course, George Washington.
The Dining Room is next on the tour, which is known for its bright yellow walls. It was in this room that Jefferson and his family shared two meals a day (any visiting guests also dined in this space). Interestingly, folding tables were used in the dining room, which enabled them to be put away quickly in order to use this space for entertaining after meals. Additionally, there is a dumbwaiter in this room, which made serving food and drink much easier for the enslaved.
Near the Dining Room is the Tea Room, which was often used as overflow if there were many guests over for dinner. Jefferson himself called the Tea Room his “most honorable suite,” because he displayed busts of his dear friends and leaders of the American Revolution (this room served other purposes as well).
While there are other rooms on the first floor and beyond, our tour of the inside of the estate came to end. We proceeded on to other spaces, to include the circa 1809 kitchen. At the time, Jefferson’s kitchen was quite modern and often focused on preparing French cuisine, which Jefferson came to love (particularly after his years spent in France). In fact, Jefferson had quite the expensive taste in food and wine, which got him in a lot of debt over the years (as mentioned, he died with about $100,000 in debt).
Of course, Monticello was only able to produce crops and be successful due to slave labor- around 400 slaves worked the 5,000 acre farm at Monticello. Underneath Monticello and beyond are work spaces and quarters, which were used by Monticello’s slaves. These areas were extremely basic and had none of the trappings and comforts of the rooms within the main house.
After we explored the main house and spaces underneath, we walked the grounds and learned more about the slaves of Monticello. There are multiple exhibits, which are extremely informative and shed light on the men, women, and children who were enslaved there. Similar to our experience at Montpelier, we felt that Monticello did a great job at providing an in-depth view of the realities of slave labor, along with the life and times of Jefferson.
After walking the grounds and taking in the amazing views, we hopped back on the shuttle. We took the shuttle partway down the mountain and got off for a brief stop at the Monticello Graveyard, to visit the final resting place of many Jefferson family members, to include Thomas Jefferson.
The Monticello Graveyard remains a family burial ground to this day, so we were unable to enter; however, you can view it from the fence (an ornate fence I might add). The most prominent gravesite is a large obelisk grave marker, which covers the graves of Thomas Jefferson, his wife, both daughters, and his son-in-law.
Legacy
The contradiction of slavery at Monticello and the enlightened mind of Thomas Jefferson is not lost on anyone- to include Jefferson himself. Yet the realities of slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries means these sort of contradictions are common in colonial and American history (it is important to study this early history in a historical lens). The story of the men, women, and children enslaved at Monticello deserves to be told, and the estate is actively doing just that. Similarly, the story of Thomas Jefferson and his contributions to our nation should continue to be studied and understood. American history is complicated, just as Thomas Jefferson was.
Source & for more information, check out Monticello’s website: https://www.monticello.org/