Free Some Day: The African American Families at Monticello

September 28, 2018 Posted by: Tom Dewey, Librarian

Free Some Day: The African American Families at Monticello, by Lucia Stanton. Charlottesville, VA: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 2000.

Although Thomas Jefferson did not favor the institution of slavery, he held about six hundred slaves in his legal possessions over the course of his long life. In Free Some Day: The African American Families of Monticello, author Lucia Stanton has created a fascinating book that highlights the stories of six enslaved families who lived and worked at Monticello. The book provides general information on events and issues that affected the entire African American community.

Stanton uses extensive records and accounts of Jefferson, but also draws from oral histories of the descendants of former slaves. She also uses the reminiscences and letters left by the women and men who lived in slavery at Monticello. The book shines a light on the lives of African Americans who experienced bondage on Jefferson’s plantations and examines the wide variety of ways in which they responded to their situation. Stanton says, “Some were seen as trusty servants, others as resourceful leaders, and still others as outright rebels.”

One of the families discussed in the book is the Hemings family. The author writes, “Historians will continue to contemplate the nature of the probable relationship between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson as well as the meaning of family at Monticello.”

The book also chronicles the many accomplishments of Monticello slaves and their descendants either during their enslavement or after gaining freedom.  Many went on to become founders of churches, schools and businesses.  Their fight for freedom, education, and family integrity continued throughout the rest of their lives.