29. No money, mo’ problems
Despite his personal viewpoints, Jefferson held on to his slaves, with the exception of Sally Hemings’s children. Only five of his hundred-odd slaves (at the time of his death) were freed in his will, including Sally Hemings’s remaining two children and three other men who had worked for him for decades and presumably had a personal relationship with him.
Later in his life, Jefferson had incurred quite a bit of debt. Slaves at the time were considered property and therefore assets. Other than the few freed above, the remaining slaves were sold to pay for the debt incurred by the Monticello Plantation.