"Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
The New York Times calls it "an invaluable companion book" to the recently opened exhibition Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty. This pioneering work by Monticello's Shannon Senior Research Historian Cinder Stanton has deepened our understanding of Jefferson—his character and psychology—without demonizing him. But perhaps even more important is the light her writings have shed on the lives of the enslaved at Monticello. Her detailed reconstruction for modern readers of the lives of enslaved workers vividly reveals their active roles in the creation of Monticello and a dynamic community previously unimagined.
