1794
Thomas Jefferson enslaved approximately 600 people over his lifetime at Monticello and his other properties. Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman and half-sister of Jefferson's deceased wife Martha, began a decades-long sexual relationship with Jefferson that produced at least six children, four of whom survived to adulthood. DNA evidence confirmed in 1998 that a Jefferson male fathered Hemings's son Eston Hemings. Hemings could not consent under the conditions of slavery. Jefferson freed only two enslaved people during his lifetime and five by will — all of them Hemings family members. The other 130 enslaved people at Monticello were sold to pay his debts after his death.
The Slave Trade Act of 1794 prohibited American citizens and residents from fitting out vessels in US ports for use in the slave trade to foreign countries. It was a partial measure that did not end the domestic slave trade or prohibit American participation in trade to American ports. Enforcement was weak. The law was strengthened in 1800 to make participation a criminal offense punishable by two years imprisonment and a $2,000 fine, but evasion remained common and prosecution rare.
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Key events
- 1794Jefferson Enslaves Sally Hemings and Hundreds at Monticello — Documented Sexual Exploitation
Thomas Jefferson enslaved approximately 600 people over his lifetime at Monticello and his other properties. Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman and half-sister of Jefferson's deceased wife Martha, began a decades-long sexual relationship with Jefferson that produced at least six children, four of whom survived to adulthood. DNA evidence confirmed in 1998 that a Jefferson male fathered Hemings's son Eston Hemings. Hemings could not consent under the conditions of slavery. Jefferson freed only two enslaved people during his lifetime and five by will — all of them Hemings family members. The other 130 enslaved people at Monticello were sold to pay his debts after his death.
- 1794Congress Bans US Citizens from Supplying Foreign Slave Traders
The Slave Trade Act of 1794 prohibited American citizens and residents from fitting out vessels in US ports for use in the slave trade to foreign countries. It was a partial measure that did not end the domestic slave trade or prohibit American participation in trade to American ports. Enforcement was weak. The law was strengthened in 1800 to make participation a criminal offense punishable by two years imprisonment and a $2,000 fine, but evasion remained common and prosecution rare.
- 1794Congress Bans US Citizens from Supplying Foreign Slave Traders
The Slave Trade Act of 1794 prohibited Americans from fitting out vessels in US ports for the foreign slave trade. It did not end the domestic trade or ban American participation in trade to American ports. Strengthened in 1800 with criminal penalties, enforcement remained weak and prosecution rare.