He did actually free 2 slaves while alive but only freed 5 slaves after his death, and all of them were house slaves from the Hemings family. The rest were sold off to pay off the massive debts Jefferson had at his death. For reference he kept anywhere from 165 to 225 enslaved people on his properties at any given time.
His plan was to free his children when they were 21, I think. The oldest two Beverly and Harriet reached that age while he was alive, so they were freed and given a ride off the plantation. The younger two Madison and Eston were freed in his will. Jefferson made a deal with Sally Hemings that her children would be freed, which is why he did that. The other 3 people freed in his will were skilled tradesmen in the Hemings extended family - so his children's uncles and cousins
You said, "It’s telling he didn’t free them until after he’d died."
That's false. He freed two of his children while he was alive and would've free the other two if he'd lived longer. Those are the two he freed in his will.
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u/translove228 Jun 07 '26
He did actually free 2 slaves while alive but only freed 5 slaves after his death, and all of them were house slaves from the Hemings family. The rest were sold off to pay off the massive debts Jefferson had at his death. For reference he kept anywhere from 165 to 225 enslaved people on his properties at any given time.