How did the ideas and vision which formed a new nation impact the enslaved community? I Ain’t No Three Fifths of a Person: Slavery and the Constitution explores the reactions and perspectives of key members of the Mount Vernon and Monticello enslaved communities to major events during the founding of our nation.
Through dramatic reenactments students will hear the views of Billy Lee, who served as General Washington’s manservant throughout the Revolutionary War; understand the concerns of Caroline Branham and Oney Judge, who worked under Mrs. Washington’s supervision in the mansion; meet Christopher Sheels, who served as General Washington’s manservant after Billy Lee; and discover the ideas of Bob Hemings, manservant to Thomas Jefferson.
To provide a broader historical context, the human point of view presented by the enslaved men and women in the dramatic scenes is interwoven with interviews from prominent historians and comments from the actor/historical interpreters themselves.
