Monticello

The exhibits and tours at Monticello are mostly accurate but fall short of being comprehensive. Insufficient time and space are afforded to Jefferson’s political accomplishments, the main source of his significance. While it is appropriate to discuss slavery, Monticello also needs to give Jefferson the political thinker and politician his due.

Most disappointing is that the Declaration of Independence exhibit fails to detail the meaning and significance of the Declaration, which lays out America’s founding principles. Sadly, tour guides often contend that “all men are created equal” applied only to white, property-owning men. In fact, Jefferson himself would have said that these words universally mean that no person has been born to rule over others absent their consent; as he famously echoed, “the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of god.”

Over the years, Monticello has changed the way it details the story of Sally Hemings through its exhibits, tours, and website. Visitors are left with the impression that DNA evidence verified the paternity of Hemings’ children and that the relationship between Hemings and Jefferson is firmly established. This goes too far. The DNA evidence proved the paternity of a male Jefferson, but not that the male in question was Thomas Jefferson. In 2000, the Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society launched a year-long investigation into these questions, engaging a number of well-respected scholars. With the exception of one scholar, conclusions ranged from “serious skepticism about the charge to a conviction that it is almost certainly false.” It would be more appropriate to present complete and accurate information and allow visitors to the site to form their own opinion.

Overall, the exhibits and tours at Monticello are restrained in tone. However, Monticello has shifted its focus over the years, and that shift seems to be building momentum.

• Tour guides sometimes make political claims like, “diversity is our strength.”
• The website and pages addressing Sally Hemings and slavery have evolved. In 2018 and 2019, the pages on slavery and Sally Hemings were expanded and reimagined, and the qualifiers were eliminated.
• In honor of Juneteenth in 2022, Monticello commissioned a painting housed for a time in Jefferson’s music room. It depicted a figure whose “hands and face of featureless tar” represent “the faceless lives of all who served in bondage, witnessing but never recognized,” an identifying card explained.

Of course, recalibrations of the telling of history are sometimes appropriate (it is necessary to tell the history of slavery and admirable to highlight individual stories), but some of Monticello’s changes have a political tinge.

Monticello is a wonderful destination for families. The grounds and gardens are extensive and beautiful, there are tours led by a Jefferson impersonator, and scavenger hunts for children. If conditions are just right, visitors can see a reflection of the back of the house (etched into our nickel) in the estate’s fishpond. The staff are generally very knowledgeable and dedicated to making the experience pleasant and educational.

Parents may want to use some discretion regarding the tours and exhibits focused on slavery. The accurate details of slavery are inherently brutal and tragic. The exhibits in the cellars on the Jefferson-Hemings controversy ask if the relationship was consensual or rape.

Tickets for the standard house tour are $42 for adults, $13 for those 12–18, and $4 for children ages 5–11, which is quite expensive compared to other sites.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the Founding era’s leading thinkers, advocating strongly for government by the people, and placed supreme value on freedom of inquiry and freedom of the mind, authoring Notes on the State of Virginia, the Virginia Bill for Religious Freedom, and, of course, the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the era’s foremost champions of public education; the University of Virginia was established under his influence. He held numerous state and federal political roles, including representing Virginia in the Continental Congress, during which time he was asked to assist in drafting the Declaration of Independence. He later served as a Virginia legislator and governor, Minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President, and President.

Along with his close friend, James Madison, Jefferson founded the Republican party, which opposed the commercial policies of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists. The two also teamed up to write the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions against the Alien and Sedition Acts that threatened freedom of speech. As President, Jefferson secured the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States.

Owned By: Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Operated By: Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Government Funded: Yes