Monticello
Monumental contradictions. (The Bus 5.40)
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ARCHIVE EDITION - FIRST PUBLISHED (1.26) 4 JULY 2022
The Stop
Monticello was the creation and primary residence of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Sitting atop a hill in Albemarle County, Virginia, the building and grounds were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The property has long been considered a ‘national treasure not only for its beauty and historical significance,’ but also for its revelations of Jefferson - a ‘complex and controversial figure whose political philosophy fundamentally shaped the nation.’ Once construction began in 1768, the building process would ‘captivate Jefferson, bankrupt his family and produce one of America’s most iconic and historically significant architectural masterpieces.’1
Monticello2 was Jefferson’s home from 1770 until his death in 1826. One of America’s ‘first and finest architects,’ Jefferson designed, rebuilt and revised the plantation - built on a hill he first explored as a child - throughout his life. It is generally accepted that no other president’s home reflects its owner’s personality as well as Monticello. Jefferson was deeply ‘complex … made up of penetrating intelligence, insatiable curiosity, high ideals, and deep contradictions.’ The author of the Declaration of Independence who insisted ‘all men are created equal,’ enslaved over 600 people in his life (400 at Monticello) - and had at least six children with his favourite slave, Sally Hemings.3 In addition, Jefferson the political theorist - champion of the ‘small-scale farmer as the bedrock of American democracy’ - owned many thousands of acres of land and was a member of the Virginia plantation aristocracy.
Throughout the house there are numerous examples of Jefferson’s inventiveness and ingenuity: hidden staircases and hidden doors, ‘dumbwaiters, disappearing beds, unusual lighting and ventilating arrangements, a duplicate-writing machine, folding doors, bookshelves that become storage boxes, and an extraordinary clock, which still runs by a series of weights and pulleys,’ and a revolving bookstand on which he could read several books at once. A highly proficient horticulturalist, Jefferson also created the extensive Monticello gardens, designing them to be a ‘botanic showpiece, a source of food,’ and - perhaps most remarkably - an ‘experimental laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world.’ In particular, Jefferson was interested in developing vineyards using species of vines he brought to America from his European travels.4
Once Jefferson retired from politics, he spent most of his time at Monticello writing and pursuing his political, architectural and horticultural interests. He established the University of Virginia at nearby Charlottesville and designed several of its original buildings (the ‘hobby of [his] old age’). Unfortunately, inherited debts from his father-in-law, the ‘cost of entertaining his many visitors, and his inability to curb his lavish tastes’ resulted in serious financial difficulties at the end of his life. When Jefferson died on 4 July 1826 - fifty years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence - Martha, his only surviving ‘legitimate’ child5 - was so deeply in debt she sold the property and 550 acres of land for $7,000. However, after several different owners who by all accounts respected Jefferson and worked hard to keep the house and property in good condition, Monticello and 650 acres was sold to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation in 1923 which restored the house, grounds, and working plantation to how they appeared during Jefferson’s life.
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to an article about the ancient Greek historian Polybius of Megalopolis. Finding himself on the losing side of battle and deported to Rome in 168 BCE, Polybius decided to write and explain his enemy’s rise to power for the ‘losing’ audience. It’s an interesting article about history’s winners and losers - fitting both today’s Stop and Book.
Polybius of Megalopolis: History Isn't Always Written by Victors
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Originally published in 1980, the book tells the history of the United States - not in the traditional manner taught in school textbooks - but from the point of view and words of ‘America’s women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant labourers.’ It is a brilliant book revealing a history unfortunately hidden to most people - a revelation that deepens the experience of what it means to be an American. It will change the way you think about the nation’s history and I highly recommended it.
From the back: ‘The classic national bestseller chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools - with its emphasis on great men in high places - to focus on the street, the home and the workplace. Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People’s History of the United States is the only volume to tell America’s story from the point of view … [that] many of our country’s greatest battles - fights for fair wages, eight-hour workdays, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women’s rights, racial equality - were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.’
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is composed of five songs that came to mind when thinking about America, Americana, etc. CCR’s ‘Fortunate Son’ (1969), Edwin Starr’s ‘War’ (1970) and Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Volunteers’ (1969) - all from the Vietnam War era, but still fitting today. Robbie Robertson’s ‘Somewhere Down the Crazy River’ (1987) remains one of my favourites songs because of the images he paints and, finally, Neil Young’s ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’ (1972) ranks quite high on the list of most-harrowing-songs-about-drug-addiction - and with the opioid epidemic, unfortunately apropos.
The Thought
Today’s Thought is a quotation from Jimmy Carter - one of my favourite US Presidents.6 It’s certainly a timely reminder on the 4th of July of the importance of maintaining democracy at home:
“The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.”
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed a brief diversion from your regular journey!
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Until the next stop …
Sources for today’s stop include Monticello (history.com) and Monticello
Italian for ‘little mountain.’
I have long been an admirer of Jefferson the intellectual. His (at the time) radical views on religion and work on the freedom of religion influenced my thoughts in university and graduate school and I have a picture of him in my study. However, this in no way means I’ve reconciled satisfactorily these contradictions - and I don’t think it’s possible. Arguing he kept slaves only because he was a ‘man of his time’ ignores the fact this ‘man of his time’ was capable of thinking so far out of that time’s box it staggers the mind - not to mention he authored one of the most profound documents in human history establishing fundamental freedoms. Much to its trustees’ credit, Monticello has never shied away from this dark aspect of Jeffersonian history. Since a first visit at 14, I’ve been to Monticello several times and - though in the early days slavery was acknowledged and then moved quickly past - over the years the exploration of Jefferson’s horrible contradiction has become an integral part of the visit. For a good overview of slavery at Monticello - including Sally Hemings’s story - see: Slavery
Just down the road from Monticello, Jefferson Vineyards is a modern winery occupying the site Jefferson and Philip Mazzei (an Italian viticulturalist Jefferson persuaded to join his project by giving him 193 acres of land) decided to clear and plant vines. I tried their wines many years ago (the Meritage was particularly good), but for the purpose of the Stop, the history section of their webpage is worth a quick glance: Vineyards
Again, slavery rears its ugly head.
In fact, he’s one of my Top Five. A history colleague who loved ‘top five’ lists once asked me for my Top Five Presidents. Carter is definitely on it - along with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton. Happy to discuss the reasons for these choices anytime!