Thomas Jefferson's Va. Mansion 'Monticello' Goes Woke As Staff Denigrate His Role As Founder

Thomas Jefferson's Va. Mansion 'Monticello' Goes Woke As Staff Denigrate His Role As Founder


Add founding father Thomas Jefferson’s famous Virginia mansion home of Monticello to the list of American history targeted by the culture-destroying left.

Instead of celebrating Jefferson’s legacy as a founder, employees at the site have instead focused primarily on portraying him in a negative light, as evidenced by recent reviews posted to Google by visitors and tourists.

“I expected more about the life of Jefferson (hence my rating of only 3 stars) and his accomplishments, but it was highly focused on all the aspects of slavery. I loved the grounds and the site itself but expected more about Thomas Jefferson[‘s] overall accomplishments and his entire life not just his business exploits on the plantation,” said one review, as noted by BizPac Review.

“If you are a fan of woke revisionist history and racist CRT, this is the place for you. If you are a fair-minded person with an appreciation for the great contributions of Jefferson as a founding father of our great nation, Monticello will disappoint and infuriate. The leadership and staff of this national treasure should be ashamed,” another review adds.

And it’s not just random reviewers who have made these claims. So, too, has Jeffrey Tucker, the founder of the Brownstone Institute.

In an interview with the New York Post, Tucker described what a woke joke the Montecillo tour has been turned into.

“Someone asked if Jefferson had built a machine in the house, and the guide said, ‘Nah, he never built anything, he was just a tinkerer,’” Tucker recalled.

“It was ridiculous. He was the architect of this house and of the University of Virginia — what are you talking about?” he added in exasperation.

BPR noted:

This new portrayal of Jefferson marks a stark contrast to how Monticello has traditionally depicted the third American president.

In the past, the tour focused primarily on Jefferson the man and his numerous accomplishments.

But these days the focus is on grievance.

“[G]rievance has become the predominant theme at Monticello, from the ticket booth in the visitor’s center — decorated with a contemporary painting of Jefferson’s weeping slaves — to its final gift-shop display,” Mary Kay Linge and Jon Levine of The Post reported after they visited the mansion and observed for themselves.

“Not even the president’s world-famous music room, an octagonal space carefully restored to its 18th-century grandeur and decorated with Gilbert Stuart’s original presidential portrait and classical busts, is safe from revisionist disapproval. A grim modern painting of a faceless figure with a matte black head now looms over the room, positioned so that it directly confronts visitors as they enter the mansion,” they wrote.

The painting was “commissioned in honor of Juneteenth last month,” The Post correspondents said they discovered from their tour guide.

“The figure’s ‘hands and face of featureless tar’ represent ‘the faceless lives of all who served in bondage, witnessing but never recognized,’ an identifying card explains. The anachronistic artwork is just one of many jarring signs of over-the-top politicization at Jefferson’s beloved home,” they wrote.

Speaking about the overt politicization, Tucker pronounced: “The whole thing has the feel of propaganda and manipulation.”

“Always enjoyed visiting Monticello in the past. The workers are super friendly and helpful. Unfortunately on this guided tour, we were lectured more on slaves and Sally Hemmings than the man himself. Half of the comments on Jefferson were critical. I expected for, the price, to have enjoyed it more. Even my 11 yr old daughter noticed the bias,” another recent review of the Monticello tour says.

“We all are aware of the tragedy of slavery during the early part of this country’s history. Please center your presentations on the man and his accomplishments rather than promoting guilt.”


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