8 US Presidents You May Not Have Known Bought and Sold Enslaved Africans

president monroe

James Monroe (1817-1825)

Monroe inherited a small plantation but sold it to enter into law and politics. Monroe would later purchase several other plantations, including Oak Hill that he built during his presidency in 1822. It is unknown how many  people were held in slavery on his plantations.

As the governor of Virginia in 1801, Monroe appealed to then-President Thomas Jefferson for the removal from the city of enslaved Blacks who were “obnoxious to the laws or dangerous to the peace of society.”

“I shall be happy to be advised by you whether a tract of land in the Western territory of the United States can be procured for this purpose. And also, whether a friendly power will permit us to remove such persons within its limits.”

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