Historians In Awe Over Discovery At Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Property

Martin Van Buren And The Slave He Couldn’t Sell

As we’ve already seen, many U.S. Presidents owned dozens of slaves and sometimes north of 150 people. Martin Van Buren laid claim to only six slaves and personally owned only one, a man named Tom who escaped from slavery in 1814. When Tom was eventually located in Massachusetts it was Van Buren who offered to sell him for $50 if he could be captured without being harmed.

The promise of non-violence could not be agreed upon so Van Buren allowed Tom to remain a free man. Buren understood that within three years, Tom would likely be a free man regardless of any action taken at the moment. In 1848, Van Buren ran for President as part of the Free Soil Property, a group that opposed slavery. After losing that election he rejoined the Democratic party. Van Buren never owned slaves while in office.