Eleanor Finch
Thomas Jefferson was a key figure in the fight against slavery in the United States. He submitted a draft for the new Virginia Constitution containing the phrase No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever, and his proposal was not adopted. In 1778, with Jefferson's leadership and probably authorship, the Virginia General Assembly banned importing people to be used as slaves into Virginia. He also co-authored the Declaration of Independence, which included a notable paragraph attacking King George III for allowing the Transatlantic Slave Trade to continue. However, during the Continental Congress's revision process, the paragraph was reduced to a veiled reference against slavery, and the institution of slavery was never mentioned by name in the final document. Jefferson's Ordinance of 1784 influenced the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. He also published a book, Notes on the State of Virginia, in 1785, which outlined his plan to ban slavery outright in any new state.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Did Jefferson mention slavery in the first constitution? | No, but he did submit a draft for the new Virginia Constitution containing the phrase "No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever." His proposal was not adopted. |
| Did Jefferson mention slavery in the Declaration of Independence? | Yes, but only in an early draft. The Continental Congress removed the bulk of the paragraph and reduced it to a veiled reference against slavery, complaining that King George incited "domestic insurrections among us." |
| Did Jefferson try to ban slavery? | Yes, in 1784 Jefferson's Ordinance influenced the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. He also tried to ban slavery outright in any new state, but his proposal was not adopted. |
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What You'll Learn
Jefferson's draft for the Virginia Constitution
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson co-authored the Declaration of Independence, which did not mention slavery by name. However, Jefferson's early draft of the Declaration of Independence included a paragraph attacking King George III for allowing the Transatlantic Slave Trade to continue. The paragraph was removed during the Continental Congress's revision process and was reduced to a veiled reference against slavery.
In 1778, Jefferson's leadership and probable authorship of the Virginia General Assembly resulted in the banning of the importation of people to be used as slaves into Virginia. This made Virginia one of the first jurisdictions in the world to ban the international slave trade.
Jefferson also submitted a draft for the new Virginia Constitution, which contained the phrase: "No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever." Unfortunately, his proposal was not adopted.
Jefferson's Ordinance of 1784 influenced the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. It also served as inspiration for future attempts to restrict slavery's domestic expansion. In 1785, Jefferson published his first book, *Notes on the State of Virginia*, which outlined his plan to ban slavery outright in any new state. This plan, if successful, would have dealt a fatal blow to the institution of slavery.
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Jefferson's Ordinance of 1784
Thomas Jefferson did not mention slavery in the first constitution. However, he did submit a draft for the new Virginia Constitution containing the phrase "No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever." His proposal was not adopted.
In 1778, with Jefferson's leadership and probably authorship, the Virginia General Assembly banned importing people to be used as slaves into Virginia. It was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to ban the international slave trade, and all other states except South Carolina eventually followed prior to the Congress banning the trade in 1807.
Jefferson's early draft of the Declaration of Independence included a notable paragraph attacking King George III for allowing the Transatlantic Slave Trade to continue. During the Continental Congress's revision process to Jefferson's draft, they removed the bulk of the paragraph and reduced it to a veiled reference against slavery, complaining that King George incited "domestic insurrections among us." Later, Jefferson claimed that some delegates from northern and southern colonies had objected to the original paragraph and prompted its removal.
In 1776, when Jefferson co-authored the Declaration of Independence, he referred to the Lord Governor when he wrote, "He has excited domestic insurrections among us," though the institution of slavery itself was never mentioned by name at any point in the document.
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Jefferson's early draft of the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson's early draft of the Declaration of Independence included a notable paragraph attacking King George III for allowing the Transatlantic Slave Trade to continue. During the Continental Congress's revision process, the bulk of the paragraph was removed and replaced with a veiled reference against slavery, complaining that King George had incited "domestic insurrections among us". Later, Jefferson claimed that some delegates from northern and southern colonies had objected to the original paragraph and prompted its removal. The draft of the original paragraph that Jefferson wrote reads:
> He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating it's most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither.
In 1778, with Jefferson's leadership and probably authorship, the Virginia General Assembly banned importing people to be used as slaves into Virginia. It was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to ban the international slave trade, and all other states except South Carolina eventually followed prior to the Congress banning the trade in 1807. As governor of Virginia for two years during the Revolution, Jefferson signed a bill to promote military enlistment by giving white men land, "a healthy sound Negro ... or £60 in gold or silver."
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Jefferson's co-authorship of the Declaration of Independence
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson co-authored the Declaration of Independence, in which he referred to the Lord Governor when he wrote, "He has excited domestic insurrections among us". However, the institution of slavery was never mentioned by name in the document. Jefferson's early draft of the Declaration of Independence included a notable paragraph attacking King George III for allowing the Transatlantic Slave Trade to continue. During the Continental Congress's revision process, they removed the bulk of the paragraph and reduced it to a veiled reference against slavery. Later, Jefferson claimed that some delegates from northern and southern colonies had objected to the original paragraph and prompted its removal.
Jefferson's Ordinance of 1784 influenced the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. It also served as inspiration and citation for future attempts to restrict slavery's domestic expansion. In 1848, Senator David Wilmot cited it while trying to build support for the Wilmot Proviso, which would have banned slavery in territory captured during the Mexican-American War. In 1860, Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln cited it to make his case that banning slavery in the federal territories was constitutional.
In 1785, Jefferson published his first book, *Notes on the State of Virginia*. That same year, Jefferson submitted a draft for the new Virginia Constitution containing the phrase "No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever". His proposal was not adopted. In 1778, with Jefferson's leadership and probably authorship, the Virginia General Assembly banned importing people to be used as slaves into Virginia. It was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to ban the international slave trade, and all other states except South Carolina eventually followed prior to the Congress banning the trade in 1807.
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Jefferson's plan to ban slavery in new states
Thomas Jefferson's early draft of the Declaration of Independence included a notable paragraph attacking King George III for allowing the Transatlantic Slave Trade to continue. However, the institution of slavery was never mentioned by name in the final document.
In 1784, Jefferson's Ordinance influenced the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. It also served as inspiration for future attempts to restrict slavery's domestic expansion. In 1785, Jefferson published his first book, *Notes on the State of Virginia*, which outlined his plan to ban slavery in any new state. In the same year, Jefferson submitted a draft for the new Virginia Constitution, which included the phrase "No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever." Unfortunately, his proposal was not adopted.
In 1778, Jefferson's leadership and probable authorship led the Virginia General Assembly to ban the importation of people to be used as slaves into Virginia. This made Virginia one of the first jurisdictions in the world to ban the international slave trade. All other states except South Carolina eventually followed suit before Congress banned the trade in 1807.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Thomas Jefferson did not mention slavery in the first constitution. However, he did submit a draft for the new Virginia Constitution containing the phrase "No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever."
Yes, Thomas Jefferson did mention slavery in other documents. In 1776, he co-authored the Declaration of Independence, which included a veiled reference against slavery, complaining that King George incited "domestic insurrections among us."
Yes, Thomas Jefferson tried to ban slavery on multiple occasions. In 1778, with Jefferson's leadership and probable authorship, the Virginia General Assembly banned importing people to be used as slaves into Virginia. He also published a book in 1785, Notes on the State of Virginia, which outlined his plan to ban slavery outright in any new state.
Thomas Jefferson's efforts to ban slavery had a significant impact. His Ordinance of 1784 influenced the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. It also served as inspiration and citation for future attempts to restrict slavery's domestic expansion, including by senator David Wilmot in 1848 and Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
