What Thomas Jefferson’s Grave Doesn’t Tell You

[00:00:00]We are currently on the grounds of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Yes, we are going inside. I can't believe it. We are also going to be visiting his final resting place at the end of the video.

[00:00:12]Come and join me. Let's go visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

[00:00:19]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Well, I must say this is one impressive location, and it is easy to see why Thomas Jefferson chose to build his house on top of this hill overlooking the Virginia countryside. And any of you who know me and have been following my channel for any length of time know how much I enjoy presidential history.

[00:01:07]Always knew that I wanted to make it to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, but really had not worked out until now. I am so thankful to have finally made this journey and so thankful to be able to take all of you with me. Today, we are going to explore the grounds, and then we are going to go inside the house. Let me go ahead and say that video was not allowed inside, so when we get there, I'll be sharing some still images from that visit inside. And all of you know that I am a cemetery channel at heart.

[00:01:39]So, yes, we will be visiting the final resting place of Thomas Jefferson, which is just down the path and over the hill a bit. There are also a few things about the tour that I would like to share before we get started. They did not gloss over the controversial parts of Jefferson's past. He enslaved people, and the majority of those living and working this land were here against their will. I thought the tour did a very good job of recognizing those people, telling their stories, and making certain that they were not forgotten. But, when it comes to the founding of America and the history found here, Jefferson's legacy is perhaps one of the most lasting of all the founding fathers. He was the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, a document that became a cornerstone of the American experiment in self-government. Here at Monticello, you are also confronted with one of the greatest contradictions in American history. The man who wrote that all men are created equal spent his entire life as an enslaver. You cannot honestly tell the story of Thomas Jefferson without acknowledging both sides of that legacy.

[00:02:48]You cannot ignore his enormous contributions to the founding of the United States, but you also cannot ignore the people whose labor made life at Monticello possible. And that complicated story is present throughout this entire property. As you approach Monticello, one of the first things that strikes you is the location itself. The name Monticello comes from an Italian word meaning little mountain, and the house sits high above the surrounding countryside. From up here, you can look out across miles of rolling Virginia land, and Jefferson, he did not simply purchase an existing mansion and move into it. This house was his creation. He began planning and building Monticello as a young man, and he continued changing it for much of his life. What visitors see today is the result of decades of ideas, experiments, and rebuilding. In many ways, Monticello was never finished because Jefferson was never completely finished with it. He studied architecture through books and was heavily influenced by the classical buildings of Europe, he incorporated those influences into a home that looked unlike almost anything else being built in Virginia at the time. The most recognizable feature is, of course, the dome. It gives Monticello a grand appearance from the outside, but the house is not enormous by presidential home standards. Its impressiveness comes from its design, its setting, and the amount of thought Jefferson placed into almost every detail. The grounds surrounding the house were also carefully planned. Jefferson was deeply interested in agriculture, gardening, plants, and experimentation. He kept detailed records, collected seeds, and tried growing different varieties of fruits and vegetables. The large vegetable garden stretches along the side of the mountain, positioned to take advantage of its sunlight. It supplied food for the household, but it was also another one of Jefferson's laboratories.

[00:04:46]He experimented with different crops and recorded what successfully grew and what did not. But once again, while Jefferson planned and documented these experiments, much of the physical labor was performed by the enslaved people here. That is an important distinction throughout Monticello. Jefferson's name is attached to nearly everything here, but his estate was built, maintained, and operated through the work of hundreds of other people whose names were nearly lost to history. One of the most important areas of the property is Mulberry Row. Today, visitors can walk along this section of the mountain top and learn about the cabins, workshops, storage buildings, and small industries that once operated here. During Jefferson's lifetime, this was one of the busiest parts of Monticello. It was home to workshops where woodworking, textile production, metalworking, and other necessary jobs were performed. It was also where many of the enslaved lived and worked. The main house may be the centerpiece of Monticello, but Mulberry Row was essential to everything that happened here. It was the working center of the plantation. The people living along this row included skilled crafts people, domestic workers, and members of families who remained connected to Monticello across several generations. Among the most closely documented were members of the Hemings family. Their stories helped move the history beyond numbers. The best known member of that family is Sally Hemings.

[00:06:17]Sally was an enslaved domestic worker and seamstress who spent part of her life in Paris while serving Jefferson's household. Historical evidence, including family testimony and later [music] DNA research, supports the conclusion that Thomas Jefferson fathered her children. At least six children were born to Sally Hemings with four surviving into adulthood: Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston. Beverly and Harriet were permitted to leave Monticello during Jefferson's lifetime, while Madison and Eston were granted their freedom through his will. There are no known photographs or portraits of Sally, and she left behind no written account of her life. Much of what is known comes from historical records and from the later recollections of her son Madison.

[00:07:05]Now, including Sally's story does not distract from Jefferson's history. It just gives us a more complete and honest understanding of the life that existed here at Monticello. That makes the experience much more personal. You begin to understand that this was not simply Jefferson's home. It was an entire community, one in which people lived under dramatically different circumstances. After spending some time exploring the grounds, it was time to enter the house. And walking through that doorway is quite an experience. This is a place most of us have seen in photographs or even history books, but it is also the building depicted on the back of the Jefferson nickel. But seeing it in person and actually stepping inside gives you or gave me a different appreciation for it.

[00:07:51]As soon as you enter, you are greeted by Jefferson's entrance hall. This room was designed to make an impression and did it ever. Jefferson used it almost like a small museum displaying items connected to natural history, maps, Native American cultures, and exploration of the North American continent. Some of these objects reflected information and materials gathered during the Lewis and Clark expedition, which was one of the great projects of Jefferson's presidency. And after the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, Jefferson supported an expedition to explore the land, study its geography, document what was found. The Louisiana Purchase dramatically increased the size of the young United States. It was a defining moment of Jefferson's presidency.

[00:08:40]Although it also presented him with a constitutional question. Jefferson generally favored a limited interpretation of federal power, yet the Constitution did not specifically explain how a president could acquire an enormous new territory. In the end, he moved forward with the purchase because he believed the opportunity was too important to lose.

[00:09:00]Throughout the house, you find more examples of his desires to combine beauty, usefulness, and invention. There are unusual clocks, cleverly designed doors, hidden storage spaces, and devices intended to make everyday tasks look more efficient. Above the entrance is Jefferson's large clock. Its face could be read from the outside while the mechanism continued through the interior of the house. Inside, the clock used hanging cannonball weights to mark the days of the week because there was not quite enough wall space for the entire system, the Saturday marker had to be placed lower than the main floor.

[00:09:36]>> [music] >> It's a small detail, but it says a great deal about Jefferson. He enjoyed problem-solving, even if some of his solutions became more complicated than the original problem. Another important room is Jefferson's cabinet, his quiet working space. This was where he read, wrote, studied, and kept many of the books and instruments that supported his wide range of interests. You may know this, he owned thousands of books during his lifetime. After the British burned the United States Capitol during the War of 1812, Jefferson sold his personal library to the federal government. That collection became the foundation for the rebuilding of the Library of Congress.

[00:10:16]He designed his private rooms at Monticello around his working habits.

[00:10:20]His bed was placed in an alcove between his bedroom and cabinet, allowing him to access either side. Nearby, he had spaces for books, writing instruments, and other tools. It all feels carefully arranged around the way Jefferson wanted to live and work. And Monticello was not an isolated retreat. Jefferson regularly welcomed visitors, sometimes far more visitors than he expected or even could comfortably accommodate. People traveled great distances hoping to meet the former president. By the later years of his life, that attention became a financial and personal burden. Visitors arrived without invitations, stayed for extended periods, and added to the already considerable expense of maintaining Jefferson was famous, >> [music] >> but he was also deeply in debt. That is another part of his story that becomes clearer at Monticello. This beautiful home represents his creativity and ambition, but it also represents the expensive lifestyle he struggled to maintain. Jefferson lived beyond his means for much of his life. By the time of his death, his debts were so substantial that Monticello, along with most of his possessions, had to be sold.

[00:11:36]And you know, really, Jefferson's accomplishments were unbelievable. He served as the third president of the United States, but before that, he had served as governor of Virginia, minister to France, secretary of state under George Washington, and vice president under John Adams. However, when Jefferson considered how he wanted future generations to remember him, he did not choose to emphasize his presidency. That becomes especially important when we reach his grave. We'll head down there now.

[00:12:04]Jefferson had selected this area for a family burial ground years before his own death. His wife, Martha, who died in 1782, was buried here. Jefferson was devastated by her death. He never remarried. Over the years, other family members were laid to rest on this hillside. Jefferson died shortly after noon on July 4th.

[00:12:26]>> [music] >> Yes, July 4th, 1826.

[00:12:30]The following day, he was carried from Monticello and buried here during a simple funeral.

[00:12:36]There was no great national ceremony on the mountaintop. His coffin was brought down to the graveyard, and Thomas Jefferson was laid to rest among members of his family. The monument that marks his grave today is an obelisk based upon a design Jefferson, of course, prepared himself. He also provided specific instructions for the words he wanted placed upon it. The inscription identifies him as the author of the Declaration of American Independence, the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the father of the University of Virginia.

[00:13:11]And that was all he wanted listed. There is no mention of serving as president, no mention of the Louisiana Purchase, there is no mention of vice president, secretary of state, governor of Virginia, or minister to France. Of Of things Jefferson accomplished during his long public life, he chose those three.

[00:13:30]The Declaration of Independence represented political freedom, the Virginia Statute for religious freedom represented freedom of belief, and the University of Virginia represented education.

[00:13:43]Those were the accomplishments he believed best represented the life he had lived and the future he wanted for the country. Of course, even those ideals are complicated by the reality of his own life. And I do think, and they did a great job of doing this during the tours that we took, the best way to remember Thomas Jefferson is to recognize all of it. He was a brilliant and deeply influential figure whose words helped inspire generations of people to demand freedom. And yet, his own actions failed to live up to the principles he expressed. Monticello preserves both sides of the story. It preserves the home Jefferson designed, the rooms where he worked, and the landscape he loved. But it also preserves Mulberry Row, the names of enslaved families, and the evidence of the people whose labor sustained this mountaintop estate. More than two centuries later, Americans are still quoting his words, debating his decisions, and struggling with the contradictions between the nation's founding promises and its historical reality. Visiting Monticello, no doubt, is more than a tour of an old presidential home. It is a visit to one of the places where the idea of America was shaped. It is also a reminder that the people who helped shape that idea were not perfect, and the promises written at the beginning of the country were not immediately extended to everyone.

[00:15:09]This has been an absolutely unbelievable and unforgettable journey for me. I knew that no question about it at some point in my channel, I wanted to look at Thomas Jefferson, visit his final resting place, tell a little bit of his story. We told, you know, some of it here, but there's no way with all of his accomplishments that we can cover everything.

[00:15:31]Very thankful that I had the opportunity to visit here, and very thankful that you all have been along with me. Once again, from Monticello, the home and the final resting place of President Thomas Jefferson, I will see you again soon.