History Research Seminar: Monticello as Machine: Thomas Jefferson and the Architecture of Enslavement

Dr W. Bernard Carlson 

(AgInnovation/TechInnovation. University of Galway)

Monticello as Machine: 

Thomas Jefferson and the Architecture of Enslavement

Abstract

As Le Corbusier, the father of modern architecture, once said, “A house is a machine for living in.”  In this paper, we will look at Thomas Jefferson’s famous home, Monticello as a machine in the sense that he designed the house [and its gadgets] to structure the relationships he had with his enslaved workers, women, and children.  Viewed in this way, Monticello reveals how buildings and technology reify the implicit and explicit values of their designers.  In addition, Monticello provides us with an opportunity to discuss the responsibility that historians have to respond to and shape the larger discourse around technology, race, and social justice.

Registration

To attend via Zoom, please register at: https://forms.office.com/r/L8q6S0VR6s

For those of you not able to attend in person, the talk will also be streamed on Zoom: https://nuigalway-ie.zoom.us/j/92791195238

This talk is part of the University of Galway History Research Seminar series.

For further details, contact Dr Kevin O’Sullivan (kevin.k.osullivan@universityofgalway.ie)