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"Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
Our perception of life at Monticello has changed dramatically over the past quarter century. The image of an estate presided over by a benevolent Thomas Jefferson has given way to a more complex view of Monticello as a working plantation, the success of which was made possible by the work of slaves. At the center of this transition has been the work of Lucia "Cinder" Stanton, recognized as the leading interpreter of Jefferson's life as a planter and master and of the lives of his slaves and their descendants. This volume represents the first attempt to pull together Stanton's most important writings on slavery at Monticello and beyond.
Stanton's pioneering work deepened ourunderstanding of Jefferson without demonizing him. But perhaps even more important is the light her writings has shed on the lives of the slaves at Monticello. Herdetailed reconstruction for modern readers of slaves' lives vividly reveals their active roles in the creation of Monticello and a dynamic community previously unimagined. The essays collected here address a rich variety of topics, from family histories (including the Hemingses) to the temporary slave community at Jefferson's White House to stories of former slaves' lives after Monticello. Each piece ischaracterized by Stanton's deep knowledge of her subject and by her determination to do justice to both Jefferson and his slaves.
Published in association with the ThomasJefferson Foundation.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2012
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About the author
Lucia "Cinder" Stanton
5 books2 followersLucia “Cinder” Stanton is Monticello’s Shannon Senior Historian. She is recognized as the leading interpreter of Jefferson’s life as a planter and master of the lives of his slaves and their descendants. (from https://www.monticello.org)
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 23, 2019
Whether you may realize it or not, Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, is in itself so ingrained in the American zeitgeist that it is engraved on the back of the nickel coin. If you were to visit Monticello today, historical interpretation focuses on three elements: 1. its famous Founding Father—Thomas Jefferson, 2. how it exists as a structural marvel of architecture, and 3. its significance as a prominent Virginian slave plantation. As the title would indicate, this book focuses on the third theme.
Monticello is one of the most well-documented former slave plantations in the United States. In addition to archaeological excavation and oral history, this book is able to delve into details that few other sites have done so thus far. It must also be noted that Lucia Stanton does not place Thomas Jefferson on any kind of pedestal in regards to slavery. She makes it clear that he is, more or less, a typical slave owner of his time regardless of his personal predilections.
"Although Jefferson was a lifelong enemy of the institution of slavery, he was continually making accommodations to it. His spoken ideals were often in conflict with the realities of his ownership of human property. While he expressed his 'scruples' against selling slaves, he sold over one hundred in his lifetime. He declared his wish to improve the living conditions of his own slaves, but worsening finances prevented him from making significant progress. Although he strove to reduce cruelty and physical punishment on his plantations, his frequent absences in public service left his overseers free to manage labor in the usual harsh manner. He encouraged the formation of stable families within his holdings, but his actions to provide for his relatives or to make his operations more efficient often led to family separation." (105)
Given the use of historic documents, this book mainly focuses on the lives of those who worked in the big house, with a particular focus on the Hemmings and their descendants. It should be noted that this book does not romanticize Jefferson’s relationship with Sally, which is good; I think most would agree that an enslaved teenager is more or less incapable of consent. Focus is also given to the Hemmings’ achievements and agency, including decedents’ involvement in the Civil War.
My one critique would be the absence of information on the enslaved who worked in the fields or were of lower social rank; this would have provided a better scope of Monticello as a plantation. That said, the Hemmings are unique in that they are one of the most historically well-documented enslaved families in America. The focus on this one lineage shinned light on a number of important issues including colorism, ‘passing,’ as well as how the sentiment of ‘anti-slavery’ is not akin to being ‘anti-racist.’
Overall, this is a solid book and I would recommend it if you are interested in the topic. For information on slavery interpretation, I would also recommend Representations of Slavery: Race and Ideology in Southern Plantation Museums, Interpreting Slavery at Museums and Historic Sites, and Shadows of the Slave Past: Memory, Heritage, and Slavery.
Monticello is one of the most well-documented former slave plantations in the United States. In addition to archaeological excavation and oral history, this book is able to delve into details that few other sites have done so thus far. It must also be noted that Lucia Stanton does not place Thomas Jefferson on any kind of pedestal in regards to slavery. She makes it clear that he is, more or less, a typical slave owner of his time regardless of his personal predilections.
"Although Jefferson was a lifelong enemy of the institution of slavery, he was continually making accommodations to it. His spoken ideals were often in conflict with the realities of his ownership of human property. While he expressed his 'scruples' against selling slaves, he sold over one hundred in his lifetime. He declared his wish to improve the living conditions of his own slaves, but worsening finances prevented him from making significant progress. Although he strove to reduce cruelty and physical punishment on his plantations, his frequent absences in public service left his overseers free to manage labor in the usual harsh manner. He encouraged the formation of stable families within his holdings, but his actions to provide for his relatives or to make his operations more efficient often led to family separation." (105)
Given the use of historic documents, this book mainly focuses on the lives of those who worked in the big house, with a particular focus on the Hemmings and their descendants. It should be noted that this book does not romanticize Jefferson’s relationship with Sally, which is good; I think most would agree that an enslaved teenager is more or less incapable of consent. Focus is also given to the Hemmings’ achievements and agency, including decedents’ involvement in the Civil War.
My one critique would be the absence of information on the enslaved who worked in the fields or were of lower social rank; this would have provided a better scope of Monticello as a plantation. That said, the Hemmings are unique in that they are one of the most historically well-documented enslaved families in America. The focus on this one lineage shinned light on a number of important issues including colorism, ‘passing,’ as well as how the sentiment of ‘anti-slavery’ is not akin to being ‘anti-racist.’
Overall, this is a solid book and I would recommend it if you are interested in the topic. For information on slavery interpretation, I would also recommend Representations of Slavery: Race and Ideology in Southern Plantation Museums, Interpreting Slavery at Museums and Historic Sites, and Shadows of the Slave Past: Memory, Heritage, and Slavery.
March 25, 2019
Lucia Stanton is one of the most noted scholars of slavery as it relates to Thomas Jefferson (it is a very small world), and this book serves as a collection of her writings about the relationship between slavery and Thomas Jefferson over time that indicates at least a few aspects of interest about the record of slavery in Monticello. For one, there are not very many primary sources on the subject, and so the same few sources (a handful of recollections recorded in the mid-19th century, Jefferson's own writings on the subject, and some writings by visitors to Monticello) are examined and tortured and interpreted for insight over and over again. For another, there is a clear transition over the course of the essays from more tentative early explorations to more pointed later ones once DNA evidence confirmed that Thomas Jefferson was indeed the father of Sally Hemings' children, at which point Jefferson's ambivalent role in freedom became greatly important and his white descendants' unwillingness to acknowledge that complexity all the more problematic to those whose interest in history is combined with a strong sense of social justice. A strong sense of social justice is not hard at all to find here.
The roughly 300 pages of this book consist of a series of essays about the complex relationship between Thomas Jefferson and slavery, divided into three sections. The first section contains five essays that wrestle with the Jefferson as a slaveowner: an essay that discusses his slaves in considerable detail, one that discusses the criticism that some Brits subject him to, one on domestic servants in the White House, one on Jefferson's "people," and another one on rational plantation management at Monticello. The second section looks at families in slavery, with two essays, one on Jefferson as seen through the perspective of his slaves and the other on the African American families found in Monticello. The last section of the book examines the lives of descendants of Monticello slaves in freedom, with essays on the Hemings family in Charlottesville, Identity and the Hemings family, Hemings descendants in the Civil War, and a discussion of notable descendants of Monticello's African families. Together these essays not only give a picture of Jefferson's own behavior as a slave master (in which he used the developments of contemporary prison design to gain a subtle but pervasive oversight of his slaves) but also look at the way in which association with Jefferson and principles of freedom shaped the families of Monticello longer after the end of slavery.
Admittedly, there is a great deal of interest to me. As someone who is (like Jefferson) fascinated by prison design, I find it deeply intriguing that Jefferson seemed to conceive of his plantation as a prison for its black inhabitants, with himself as the panopticon, the all-seeing eye of the warden. But for what crime, apart from their ancestry, were Jefferson's "people" imprisoned? Clearly this is a matter that deserves a great deal of further consideration and I am surprised that more has not been written about the interaction between prison design and philosophy and the experience of slavery, and also the continuing experience of prison in the experience of freed slaves and their descendants. I might have to examine this subject deeper myself. Although I found it disappointing that there were so few primary sources that must undergird our own understanding of Thomas Jefferson as a slaveowner, any book that gives me research ideas must ultimately considered to be a good book, even if I lack the personal connection with Thomas Jefferson as a slaveowner that many of the book's ideal audience has.
The roughly 300 pages of this book consist of a series of essays about the complex relationship between Thomas Jefferson and slavery, divided into three sections. The first section contains five essays that wrestle with the Jefferson as a slaveowner: an essay that discusses his slaves in considerable detail, one that discusses the criticism that some Brits subject him to, one on domestic servants in the White House, one on Jefferson's "people," and another one on rational plantation management at Monticello. The second section looks at families in slavery, with two essays, one on Jefferson as seen through the perspective of his slaves and the other on the African American families found in Monticello. The last section of the book examines the lives of descendants of Monticello slaves in freedom, with essays on the Hemings family in Charlottesville, Identity and the Hemings family, Hemings descendants in the Civil War, and a discussion of notable descendants of Monticello's African families. Together these essays not only give a picture of Jefferson's own behavior as a slave master (in which he used the developments of contemporary prison design to gain a subtle but pervasive oversight of his slaves) but also look at the way in which association with Jefferson and principles of freedom shaped the families of Monticello longer after the end of slavery.
Admittedly, there is a great deal of interest to me. As someone who is (like Jefferson) fascinated by prison design, I find it deeply intriguing that Jefferson seemed to conceive of his plantation as a prison for its black inhabitants, with himself as the panopticon, the all-seeing eye of the warden. But for what crime, apart from their ancestry, were Jefferson's "people" imprisoned? Clearly this is a matter that deserves a great deal of further consideration and I am surprised that more has not been written about the interaction between prison design and philosophy and the experience of slavery, and also the continuing experience of prison in the experience of freed slaves and their descendants. I might have to examine this subject deeper myself. Although I found it disappointing that there were so few primary sources that must undergird our own understanding of Thomas Jefferson as a slaveowner, any book that gives me research ideas must ultimately considered to be a good book, even if I lack the personal connection with Thomas Jefferson as a slaveowner that many of the book's ideal audience has.
December 14, 2020
This book, together with Annette Gordon-Reed's The Hemingses of Monticello, gives a full, nuanced portrait of the lives of not only the Hemings family, but also other enslaved families owned by Jefferson, and an account of the lives of many of their descendants.
June 27, 2018
I'm so very glad our guide at Monticello suggested this book to us.
"those Who Labor for My Happiness" is a collection of essays pertaining to the institution of slavery, as practiced at Thomas Jefferson's Little Mountain.
The fact that it's a collection of essays, and the resulting repetition of anecdotes, is the main reason for my three star rating.
The information presented here is, however, superb, evocative, and I think in these days, especially important. The author has painstakingly reconstructed the stories of the enslaved families of Monticello, using genealogical detective work of the first order. Along the way, we meet an extraordinary cast of characters, mainly from three families. The Hemings are the best documented. Unfortunately, Sally Hemings, the name most readily recognized, remains a rather shadowy figure at the heart (literally and figuratively) of the family's fate and fortunes. She must have been an amazing person.
And that's the devilish part of this story, and all history really.
We can pile up evidence on this side or that. We can look at the facts of the case. We can run DNA tests and study the results.
We cannot, however, ever, quite see into the minds and motivations of the parties involved. We can make a case for this theory or the other, but we can never really know. This is what I've always referred to as the Hell of history. History isn't what a friend of mine used to call "a lie, agreed upon". It is a narrative built up from partial evidence and not wholly understood fragments of the past. Sally goes down in my book as one of the great mysteries of the past. Ms. Stanton's book makes me wish I could sit down over a cup of tea and talk with her at length about her life.
"those Who Labor for My Happiness" is a collection of essays pertaining to the institution of slavery, as practiced at Thomas Jefferson's Little Mountain.
The fact that it's a collection of essays, and the resulting repetition of anecdotes, is the main reason for my three star rating.
The information presented here is, however, superb, evocative, and I think in these days, especially important. The author has painstakingly reconstructed the stories of the enslaved families of Monticello, using genealogical detective work of the first order. Along the way, we meet an extraordinary cast of characters, mainly from three families. The Hemings are the best documented. Unfortunately, Sally Hemings, the name most readily recognized, remains a rather shadowy figure at the heart (literally and figuratively) of the family's fate and fortunes. She must have been an amazing person.
And that's the devilish part of this story, and all history really.
We can pile up evidence on this side or that. We can look at the facts of the case. We can run DNA tests and study the results.
We cannot, however, ever, quite see into the minds and motivations of the parties involved. We can make a case for this theory or the other, but we can never really know. This is what I've always referred to as the Hell of history. History isn't what a friend of mine used to call "a lie, agreed upon". It is a narrative built up from partial evidence and not wholly understood fragments of the past. Sally goes down in my book as one of the great mysteries of the past. Ms. Stanton's book makes me wish I could sit down over a cup of tea and talk with her at length about her life.
October 11, 2018
An article in a recent Smithsonian Magazine inspired me to plan a visit to Monticello in early September of this year in part to see the new exhibits on Sally Hemings and her family, and I read (most of) this book in preparation for the trip, finishing it after I returned. The collection of essays here is by a senior curator of Monticello who specializes in knowledge of the mountain’s enslaved residents: they represent research that she and her colleagues conducted over a period of several decades. There is considerable overlap among the essays, and I strongly suspect that at a future date there will be a consolidated version of this narrative, which is likely to carry a stronger “story line.” It is interesting as it is, though, in that the underlying story is continuing to be unraveled, both by her and by colleagues in the field, over the period of years that the essays are being compiled. Those interested in developing an understanding of the complex interactions of the enslaved and their enslavers will be enriched by much of what is found here, although it is far from a simple story. The ironies and paradoxes (not belabored here) of Jefferson’s life as a slaveholder who conceived five children with a woman who was his “property,” very likely his deceased wife’s half sister, and many years his junior, are obvious to anyone who has read the Declaration of Independence. At bottom I must agree with the docent at Monticello who served as our interpreter for the “slavery tour:” there were no “good slaveowners.” Also, I am increasingly convinced that the fate of African-American citizens of today and the tenor of our current political climate continues to be affected and infected by our past as a slaveholding society.
May 17, 2024
This book was recommended to us while touring Monticello in order to get a better appreciation for the people who really built and made Monticello. I must confess that non-fiction is not in my wheelhouse. However, I'm so glad I pushed myself for this one. The collection of stories and essays really put it into perspective how much of American history we weren't taught and how much we could gain to learn. At times, it did feel repetitive due to the collections discussing the same people and accounts. The last section was my favorite, how the families that once lived at Monticello impacted the forming of America. As well as how those families were impacted by founding America as they navigated race and identity.
April 2, 2012
If you have ever wondered about the lives of African Americans before Emancipation, read Cinder Stanton's ground-breaking work. You won't just learn about life at Monticello, you'll meet wonderful individuals with moving stories, impressive talents, and the fortitude to endure slavery. This volume includes the now out-of-print "Free Some Day," an excellent monograph concerning the major slave families owned by Thomas Jefferson.
November 10, 2024
This is an excellent book giving deeper insights into Thomas Jefferson's life and the lives of slaves he owned. I found myself considering if Thomas Jefferson was a great man. We tend to make our founding father's into some sort of perfect humans when in fact they were flawed individuals and the product of their own time. My conclusion was that yes he was a great man in some ways, but he was a man of his time, and he was far from a perfect human being.
June 24, 2014
Fascinating read. Lots of detail. Jefferson was a complex individual and my new favorite president.
May 1, 2022
Well written! This is the in-depth tour of Monticello that I was looking for.
March 13, 2023
This is a story of slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. It focuses primarily on the family of Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings, a slave Jefferson inherited from his father-in-law John Wayles. One of Betty's daughters, Sally, was Jefferson's "concubine," and all of the family seems to have received preferential treatment. Despite what some people think, books of this sort do not demonize Thomas Jefferson. In fact, positive aspects of Jefferson's character are explored, and it is clear many of his enslaved workers had real affection for him. It seems Jefferson was trying to create some sort of utopian society at Monticello, but one where he remained the ultimate authority and all the servants remained enslaved. Despite his protestations against slavery, Jefferson freed only a handful of slaves during his lifetime and in his will. These included his own biological children and a few others. When he died, nearly 130 slaves had to be sold in order to pay the former president's debts The book traces the lives of the Hemings descendants following freedom, through the Civil War and into the present day. Some entered white society; others were and continue to be part of black society. Some who grew up being seen as Negroes, joined white regiments during the Civil War with one achieving the rank of colonel. Others fought as part of the U.S. Colored Troops and were promoted to officer status. A family of unique ability, some achieved notable success even before the Civil War and Emancipation. In all, a sometimes sad tale of the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination here in the United States. The book is a compilation of essays, so there is considerable repetition of stories.
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November 22, 2022For the past few years, I've been challenged by Thomas Jefferson. On one hand a prolific author of human equality--on the other a man who held people in bondage. Many people.
So, when a friend loaned me this book by the Shannon Senior Historian at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello I had some hope it would help me sort it all out. Alas.
The good--the book seems thoroughly researched with lots of notes and quotes from primary sources. The stores of the enslaved are told in a straightforward positive way.
The less than good--there seemed to me an subtle bias in favor of Jefferson's delemia. Trapped in a system--how could he do but offer empty promises of freedom while living the life style of an aristocratic farmer? He did free his children that were born into slavery--but mostly informally by letting them "run away." "While he expressed his 'scruples' against selling slaves, he sold over a hundred in his lifetime." (p 105) He did nothing too ensure freedom--or even their well being after his death. And while he only rarely used physical/psychological violence, isn't it true that the abused and oppessed do learn that the threat of those things is enough, and ingratiating yourself to your master (who is often a blood relative) is the way to make life bearable.
Perhaps this is a first step toward understanding this rich white guy who was important to the country's founding and who lived its hypocrisy better than many. While I read with intersest parts of this book other sections were extremely frustrating.
So, when a friend loaned me this book by the Shannon Senior Historian at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello I had some hope it would help me sort it all out. Alas.
The good--the book seems thoroughly researched with lots of notes and quotes from primary sources. The stores of the enslaved are told in a straightforward positive way.
The less than good--there seemed to me an subtle bias in favor of Jefferson's delemia. Trapped in a system--how could he do but offer empty promises of freedom while living the life style of an aristocratic farmer? He did free his children that were born into slavery--but mostly informally by letting them "run away." "While he expressed his 'scruples' against selling slaves, he sold over a hundred in his lifetime." (p 105) He did nothing too ensure freedom--or even their well being after his death. And while he only rarely used physical/psychological violence, isn't it true that the abused and oppessed do learn that the threat of those things is enough, and ingratiating yourself to your master (who is often a blood relative) is the way to make life bearable.
Perhaps this is a first step toward understanding this rich white guy who was important to the country's founding and who lived its hypocrisy better than many. While I read with intersest parts of this book other sections were extremely frustrating.
January 25, 2019
Collection of essays I picked up while at Monticello. It is interesting to see the author change in her language and estimation of the lives of slaves at Monticello as well as of Jefferson himself, change over time. The use of the word African-American always bothers me when used to describe slaves, who were not seen as people, much less as citizens, and feels like it is used to gloss over what these people went through. Some stories are very tough to read, the threat of one couple being separated and sold after an argument brought about when the wife is brought to the White House and the husband left at Monticello for example, the phrase of Jefferson comparing the act of freeing slaves to abandoning children is another. Eye opening and important, if flawed.
September 20, 2023
I fell a bit short of finishing this entire book, but did read a good deal as well as selectively skimming the other essays( this mostly because some were very repetitive). Absolutely a book of importance. In some ways it was trying to answer the question of how someone who drafted the US Declaration of Independence and all the document stands for, could be a slave owner. Jefferson mostly treated his slaves well, not for humanitarian reasons but because it was good for his business. Slaves were property. He also fathered more than one child with his slaves. A good read for delving into this piece of history with a different point of view.
February 9, 2015
This is a fascinating and frustrating book. The fascination arises both from the facts presented, the information about Jefferson's household (family members/servants) and their descendants and oral histories, and from watching how the author's perspective changes over time -- because this is a collection of essays, each reprinted as it appeared at the time, not updated or changed in any way. The frustration arises from the essays all being pretty much at the same level of analysis: the same anecdotes are repeated to make various points at various times, and there is little effort to dig further into what happened and what it means (although the dearth of original sources would make doing that nearly impossible). One thought that I came away with, which has stuck with me, is what the author describes as the tendency we all have to remember and pass on information that puts each of us into a good light -- we do this in my family as well, and now I have to look at my dad's stories with some skepticism.
August 20, 2013
This book and the book I'm reading now, "Almost Free", by Eva Sheppard Wolf, are suggested readings for a continuing education course that I'm taking this fall about Thomas Jefferson and slavery. This book focuses exclusively on the slaves owned by Jefferson, most especially the Hemmings family. It describes their lives during slavery, what happened to some of them when they were sold following Jefferson's death, and what kinds of lives they had after the civil war and up until today. It is a book of essays, which were written with a great deal of research, over a span of time. I found the book very informative and am looking forward to the class this fall.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews