Slavery at Monticello: Life and Work at Mulberry Row
By Patricia Monticello Kievlan,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
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Engrossing images and audio reveal untold stories.
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Slavery at Monticello: Life and Work at Mulberry Row
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What’s It About?
SLAVERY AT MONTICELLO: LIFE AND WORK ON MULBERRY ROW is reference tool that explores life on the lane that served as the main economic hub of the Monticello estate outside Charlottesville, Virginia. The app reflects some major work by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation to expand its coverage, tours, and narrative attention to the lives of the hundreds of slaves who lived in and around Jefferson's famous manse at Monticello. The app has three sections: Sites includes an interactive map of the area, People has biographies of people who lived at Monticello and Mulberry Row, and Themes explores critical historical ideas. Each entry in People includes a one-liner about that each person's role, a brief biography and time line, videos, infographics, and stories about the larger historical context of each person's life. Themes delves more deeply into major issues that faced the people who worked on Mulberry Row, including Family & Separation, Living & Working Conditions, Racial Identity, and Resistance & Punishment.
Is It Any Good?
As it explores an actual historical site, this resource addresses the brutality and complexity of slavery and explores the problematic, often-troubling legacy of Thomas Jefferson's slave ownership. The narrators use the term "enslaved people" rather than "slaves," and there's a focus on the nuance, details, and challenges of these individuals' lives. It's a tough thing to do well, and the developers and historians do an admirable, sensitive job of addressing these problematic issues and exploring them. For instance, there's an audio excerpt titled "A Continuum of Power" that addresses how Sally Hemings, as a slave, would have been unable to refuse Jefferson, and that women in general were seen as inferior to men. Though the stories and images are strong, more links out to primary source documents and more opportunities to engage with the content would take this app to the next level. Users can share that they're using the app via social media or email, but it would be even better if they could share more about their experience and reflect on it more deeply: Some kind of forum or space for reflection and discussion would help this app more successfully and more sustainably begin a powerful dialogue.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the legacy of slavery in the United States and the experiences of enslaved people. Use this app as a starting point for further research and exploration, whether you explore these individuals' lives or the themes in greater detail.
If your family gets the chance to visit Monticello, you're in luck: Use the app on a mobile device to guide your walking tour and learn about the historic significance of different sites on the grounds.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Social Studies: cultural understanding, historical figures, history
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: analyzing evidence, asking questions, investigation, thinking critically, Emotional Development: empathy, perspective taking
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: June 17, 2015
- Category: Education
- Topics: History
- Publisher: Thomas Jefferson Foundation Inc.
- Version: 1.1
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 7.0 or later.
- Last updated: February 12, 2019
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