Art News

Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia estate Monticello highlights slaves’ stories in new website

RICHMOND (AP).- When Thomas Jefferson died, scores of slaves were sold from his Monticello plantation to settle his debts. Peter Fossett, 11, was among them, recalling that he was “born and reared as free, not knowing that I was a slave, then suddenly, at the death of Jefferson, put on an auction block and sold to strangers.” Fossett’s story is one of many included in several new projects launching this winter to shed light on the slaves who lived and worked at Monticello. A website launching Jan. 27 will showcase oral histories of the slaves in an online project called “Getting Word: African American Families of Monticello.” An exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. called “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty” also opens Jan. 27 and will weave in some excerpts from the “Getting