Revisiting the Sage of Monticello

In November of 2021, a statue of Thomas Jefferson was removed from City Hall in New York City. It had been in the building for 187 years. Jefferson-Jackson dinners used to be key fundraising dinners for the Democratic Party. No longer. We have yet to see if Jefferson’s image will remain on the nickel and two-dollar bill. Jefferson was at one time honored for authoring the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, serving as president of the United States, orchestrating the Louisiana Purchase, and founding the University of Virginia. For many Americans, these accomplishments matter little because he also owned slaves.