Thomas Jefferson’s descendant: ‘I wish he had done more to free enslaved people’

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, Shannon LaNier is confronting a painful contradiction in the nation’s founding — and in his own family tree. LaNier is the sixth great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson, the founding father who wrote the Declaration of Independence and served as the third US president. But Jefferson also enslaved more than 600 people over his lifetime, including some of LaNier’s ancestors. “I wish he had done more to free enslaved people,” LaNier said, reflecting on his complex legacy. LaNier, an African American author and speaker, represents a direct link between Jefferson’s ideals of liberty and the reality of his slaveholding. His story highlights the role of Black Americans in the country’s founding, a history often overlooked. On July 4, as the nation marks its 250th year, LaNier will grapple with that duality — honoring his ancestor’s contributions while acknowledging his failures.