Description: Monticello has its premise in a historical fact: Thomas Jefferson did invite students from the University of Virginia to dine with him at Monticello. In 1826, the last year of Jefferson's life, Edgar Allan Poe showed up at the school. The official Monticello web site speculates that Jefferson and Poe may have dined together.
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St. Bonaventure Oratory 1625 Diversey Parkway, Chicago
A dying Thomas Jefferson, his estate in debt and his family in chaos, is confronted with a grim choice: Appease the wealthy interests of the young country by affirming that the Declaration of Independence does not apply to slaves, or cement his legacy and the freedom of generations of black Americans by denouncing the evil institution on which the fragile economy depends.
To resolve this dilemma, Jefferson turns to Edgar Allan Poe, a new student and burgeoning poet at the University of Virginia. Together, they examine the challenges to writing truth to power, the out-sized power of government-orchestrated fear, and the paradox of freedom in America.