Jefferson, Jupiter, And Summary: Jefferson Vs. Jupiter

Thomas Jefferson was a frequent visitor to Williamsburg. Beginning as a student at the College of William and Mary and continuing throughout his political career as a member of the General Assembly, House of Delegates, and Governor of Virginia, Jefferson often found himself in the colony’s capital in the 1760s and 1770s. Accompanying Jefferson on these trips was his long time personal servant Jupiter, who was raised and trained under the expectation of becoming Jefferson’s personal slave for the duration of his life. In 1760 when Jefferson left Shadwell to study at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg was the first town of any noteworthy size either of them had ever seen with approximately two thousand residents, half of which were slaves. Although Jefferson and Jupiter traveled to Williamsburg together, they experienced the …show more content…
In analyzing Jefferson’s Memorandum books, it became apparent that Jupiter was entrusted with a plethora of assignments as is evidenced with a typical week’s span in October 1770 in which Jupiter was sent to purchase mourning and boot buckles, candles, fiddlestring, and bread. This was presumably done while Jefferson attended government or professional functions for which there was no need for Jupiter to be in attendance, but could rather be of more use accomplishing various tasks throughout the town. Places frequently visited by Jupiter would be the Market Square for general grocery shopping, and merchant shops of various amenities such as the cabinetmaker, milliner, and silversmith. It was not an uncommon practice for slaves to go into the market or shops without their masters in attendance as the consumer revolution of the mid 1700s sparked a wave of commerce in which every class and member of society would participate. Shopping for Jefferson was one of the main ways Jupiter would interact with society and how he saw the

Show More

Jefferson, Jupiter, And Summary: Jefferson Vs. Jupiter

Related Documents: Jefferson, Jupiter, And Summary: Jefferson Vs. Jupiter

Citation and Body Paragraph Essay