From chess to word games to foot races, Thomas Jefferson’s free family and guests found numerous things to occupy their leisure time. Such leisure hours were few and far between for Monticello’s enslaved community, yet they nevertheless found ingenious ways to create their own games and amusement with things like handmade clay marbles and jaw harps.
In this live Q&A with Thomas Jefferson, interpreted by Bill Barker, discusses the different—and disparate—forms of entertainment enjoyed by the free and enslaved people at Monticello.
