"I rid to my plantations" : the rural pursuits of Washington and Jefferson

Abstract

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were drawn into the controversy of the American Revolution and into the new American government from the very top of Virginia plantation society. Both men came to planting with some measure of reluctance. Washington, discouraged in his efforts to join the regular British Army, turned to the plow as an alternative means to gaining social prominence and financial security. While his initial years of farming were troubled ones, Washington quickly adapted to the life of the planter and became a major presence in northeastern Virginia. His diligence, patience, and sound business skills permitted him to ease his burden of debt to British merchants, expand the boundaries of Mount Vernon, properly care for his slaves, and provide a comfortable life for his family. Upon his retirement to Monticello in 1809, Thomas Jefferson took up farming for essentially the first time in his life. Called away by public service for the vast majority of his life, Jefferson had directed his plantations by written instructions to his overseers and superintendents. Jefferson's seventeen years at Monticello mark the darkest period in his life. The limitations of his lands, years of inclement weather, and the irregular economic conditions of the period made the profitability of his plantations a remote possibility. When taken in conjunction with his limited managerial skills and heavy indebtedness, economic stability for Jefferson became even more elusive. Despite his economic difficulties, he continued to build houses of fantastic size, care for his bonded black laborers, and contribute his money and time to projects such as the construction of the University of Virginia. The picture of Jefferson that emerges is one of a man uncomfortable with the business of farm management and entirely uneasy in matters of finance.