Fighting for Freedom and Equality

Freedom for Monticello's African-American residents did not bring an end to their struggles against slavery. They assisted those still in bondage by purchasing family members, forging free papers, and joining the Underground Railroad. After Emancipation, their descendants continued the campaign for liberty and equality—in public assemblies, in newspaper columns, on the battlefield during the Civil War, in confrontations with American presidents, and at southern lunch counters.