During Thomas Jefferson’s lifetime, the Monticello plantation encompassed 5,000 acres. The usage of that land changed over time, but ultimately, Jefferson’s intention was to cultivate crops and initiate projects that maximized profit.
In this live Q&A, Monticello’s Director of Archaeology, Fraser Neiman, and Manager and Curator of Historic Gardens, Jason Young, discuss land management—and the sometimes decidedly negative outcome of land-use choices—during Jefferson’s time, the enslaved people whose labor facilitated those initiatives, and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s stewardship of the land today.