Videos on the Threat of Debt

Gregory May’s biography of Albert Gallatin looks at his rise to power, his tumultuous years at the Treasury, and his enduring influence on American fiscal policy. (1 hour, 2 minutes)

Peter Peterson, former United States Secretary of Commerce and founder of the non-partisan Peterson Foundation, discusses the national debt crisis that threatens the strength of the American republic. 

In these segments from a Monticello livestream, Research Archaeologist Derek Wheeler discusses Jefferson's mixed success in pursuing several ventures to make his plantation profitable.

January 15, 1827: Thomas Jefferson's estate sale resulted in the auction of more than 100 enslaved men and women who lived at Monticello. The impetus for the sale was simple - Jefferson’s enormous debt. It became the responsibility of his heirs but to the men, women, and children held in bondage who knew they would be sold to cover that debt, it was a living nightmare. Learn more in this video featuring Monticello's Director of African American History, Niya Bates.