Public artwork reframes US history of enslavement through Jefferson’s valet

The Descendants of Monticello shifts focus from Thomas Jefferson to Robert Hemmings, his enslaved teen valet

In his 1981 inaugural address, Ronald Reagan gazed out at the magnificent vista of Washington DC. “At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand,” the new US president said. “Directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man, George Washington, father of our country. A man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly. He led America out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood. Off to one side, the stately memorial to Thomas Jefferson.”

Come the Fourth of July, amid pageantry and fireworks, Washington and Jefferson will be lauded again for delivering independence from the British crown. Less will be said about the role of the men, women and children they enslaved in the US creation myth.