Jonah Patel
Thomas Jefferson's complicated relationship with slavery is a well-known aspect of his legacy. While he wrote that all men are created equal, he enslaved more than 600 people over his lifetime, including his own children with his enslaved concubine Sally Hemings. 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, which was later removed and reduced to a veiled reference against slavery. Despite his philosophical abhorrence of slavery and his legislative efforts to abolish it, Jefferson's actions and beliefs were hypocritical and racist. He believed that white Americans and enslaved blacks constituted two separate nations who could not live together peacefully in the same country, and that blacks were racially inferior. Jefferson's failure to address slavery in the Constitution, despite his views, remains a controversial aspect of his legacy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery | Jefferson believed that slavery was a "cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberties" He also called it "piratical warfare", "execrable commerce" and an "assemblage of horrors" He thought that slavery was contrary to the laws of nature, which decreed that everyone had a right to personal liberty |
| Jefferson's actions against slavery | In 1778, Jefferson drafted a Virginia law that prohibited the importation of enslaved AfricansIn 1784, he proposed an ordinance that would ban slavery in the Northwest territoriesIn 1786, Jefferson remarked, "The voice of a single individual of the state which was divided, or of one of those which were of the negative, would have prevented this abominable crime from spreading itself over the new country."In 1808, Jefferson did not lead the campaign to prohibit the importation of slaves, but it was one of his two major presidential achievements according to historian John Chester MillerIn 1819, Jefferson proposed an overall emancipation plan that would free slaves born after a certain dateIn 1824, Jefferson proposed buying African-American children born in America and sending them to Santo Domingo |
| Jefferson's hypocrisy | Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal" However, he enslaved more than 600 people over the course of his life, including his own children with his enslaved concubine Sally Hemings He wrote that he suspected black people to be inferior to white people in his Notes on the State of Virginia He believed that white Americans and enslaved blacks were two "separate nations" who could not live together peacefully He profited directly from slavery and brought slaves from Monticello to work at the White House |
| Reasons for not including anti-slavery in the Constitution | Jefferson believed that the decision to emancipate slaves would have to be part of a democratic process and that abolition would be stymied until slave owners consented to free their slavesThe Continental Congress forced Jefferson to delete the anti-slavery clause in the final draft of the Declaration due to Southern oppositionBoth the South and the North had financial stakes in perpetuating slavery, as Southern plantations needed free labor to produce cash crops for export |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Jefferson's own slave ownership
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, owned more than 600 slaves during his adult life, the most of any U.S. president. He inherited around 52 slaves when he was 14 years old, assuming full control over them at 21. Jefferson freed two slaves while he lived, and five others were freed after his death, including two of his children from his relationship with his slave (and sister-in-law) Sally Hemings. His other two children with Hemings were allowed to escape without pursuit. After his death, the rest of the slaves were sold to pay off his estate's debts.
Privately, one of Jefferson's reasons for not freeing more slaves was his considerable debt, while his more public justification, expressed in his book Notes on the State of Virginia, was his fear that freeing enslaved people into American society would cause civil unrest between white people and former slaves. Jefferson consistently spoke out against the international slave trade and outlawed it while he was president. He also advocated for a gradual emancipation of all slaves within the United States and the colonisation of Africa by freed African Americans.
Jefferson wrote that ""all men are created equal", yet he enslaved more than 600 people over the course of his life. He made some legislative attempts against slavery and at times bemoaned its existence, but he also profited directly from the institution of slavery. Jefferson's views on slavery were complex and shaped by his upbringing in Virginia's planter society, where slavery was the main means of labour production. He grappled to reconcile Enlightenment ideals with his status as a plantation owner.
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, during the Continental Congress's revision process, they removed the bulk of the paragraph and reduced it to a veiled reference against slavery. Jefferson did manage to make a general criticism against slavery in the Declaration, maintaining "all men are created equal".
Jefferson also 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 1785, he argued for gradual emancipation and an end to slavery in his book Notes on the State of Virginia. However, within the same document, he also perpetuated racial prejudices about the inferiority of the enslaved based on their skin colour.
Adjudication on the Merits: Dismissal with Prejudice?
You may want to see also
The Continental Congress's removal of Jefferson's anti-slavery clause
Thomas Jefferson, in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, included a 168-word passage that attacked King George III for allowing the Transatlantic Slave Trade to continue. The Continental Congress, however, forced Jefferson to delete the clause in the final draft. The exact circumstances of the passage's removal may never be known, as the historical record does not include details of the debates undertaken by the Second Continental Congress.
Jefferson's original clause read:
> He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its 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 a miserable death in their transportation thither.
The clause was replaced with a passage highlighting King George's incitement of "domestic insurrections among us," which was a reference against slavery, complaining that the king had stirred up warfare between the colonists and Native tribes. The removal of the anti-slavery clause was mostly fuelled by political and economic expediencies. While the 13 colonies were already deeply divided on the issue of slavery, both the South and the North had financial stakes in perpetuating it. Southern plantations, a key engine of the colonial economy, needed free labour to produce tobacco, cotton and other cash crops for export back to Europe. The removal of the clause was also due to Southern opposition, specifically in compliance with South Carolina and Georgia, who had never attempted to restrain the importation of slaves and who still wished to continue it.
Jefferson himself was a slaveowner, and he did not directly condemn domestic slavery in the Declaration. He did, however, make a general criticism against slavery by maintaining that "all men are created equal." Jefferson also made legislative attempts against slavery and proposed an emancipation plan in 1824 that would free slaves born after a certain date. He believed that slavery was a "moral depravity" and a "hideous blot" that presented the greatest threat to the survival of the new American nation.
Strategies for Nash Equilibrium: Optimal Outcomes
You may want to see also
Jefferson's belief in the necessity of abolition
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, had a complex and evolving relationship with slavery and its place in the nation's founding documents. While Jefferson did not explicitly mention slavery in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, his beliefs and actions regarding the institution of slavery are important to understand.
Jefferson, himself a slaveowner, recognized the moral and ethical contradictions of slavery in a nation founded on the ideals of liberty and equality. He believed that slavery was a necessary evil that had become entrenched in the social and economic fabric of the colonies and, later, the young nation. In his notes on the state of Virginia, Jefferson wrote, "The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other." He understood the inherent injustice and recognized the need for its abolition.
Secondly, Jefferson also recognized the practical implications of slavery and the impact it had on the social and economic development of the country. He believed that slavery hindered progress and stunted the growth of a free and prosperous society. In a letter to Edward Coles, Jefferson wrote, "I congratulate you on the course you have pursued. It proves the existence of that moral courage without which no great or good action can be performed, and of which I had formed no doubtful expectation in your case. The sacrifice which you have made, of local reputation, and sensitive feelings, to the cause of human liberty and happiness, will entitle you to the respect and gratitude of every virtuous citizen."
However, despite his beliefs in the necessity of abolition, Jefferson did not actively push for the elimination of slavery during his lifetime. This can be attributed to a combination of political pragmatism and his own personal economic interests as a slaveowner. Nonetheless, his words and ideas laid the groundwork for future generations to take up the cause and ultimately bring an end to slavery in the United States.
Congressmen's Oath: Constitution First
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The economic and political power gained from the slave trade
Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery were complex and often contradictory. While he wrote that "all men are created equal", he enslaved over 600 people throughout his life and profited directly from the institution of slavery. He also believed in the racial inferiority of Black people, viewing them as a separate nation that could not coexist peacefully with white Americans.
The slave trade was also central to the economic development of the American colonies and, later, the United States. From the first arrival of enslaved Africans, the institution of slavery became foundational to the economy of every major city on the Eastern Seaboard. The labour of enslaved people was exploited to cultivate valuable cash crops such as tobacco and sugar, generating wealth and power for slave owners and their respective colonies.
The domestic slave trade within the United States further solidified the economic and political power gained from slavery. Between 1820 and 1860, the expansion of cotton cultivation led to the forced migration of approximately 1,000,000 enslaved people to the Deep South. This internal slave trade created immense profits for slave traders and strengthened the economic power of slaveholding states. Additionally, the Three-Fifths Compromise in the Constitution, which counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes, gave greater political power to states with large slave populations.
Amendments to the US Constitution: A Historical Overview
You may want to see also
Jefferson's failure to take concrete action
Thomas Jefferson's failure to take concrete action against slavery is a well-known aspect of his legacy, and it stems from a complicated relationship with the institution. While Jefferson spoke of emancipation and publicly opposed slavery, he also owned slaves himself and profited from the institution. This hypocrisy has been a significant aspect of his historical assessment.
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, during the revision process, the Continental Congress removed this paragraph, reducing it to a veiled reference against slavery. This removal was largely due to political and economic considerations, as both the North and the South had financial stakes in perpetuating slavery. Despite this setback, Jefferson continued to advocate for abolition and was actively involved in legislation aimed at ending slavery.
In 1778, Jefferson drafted a Virginia law prohibiting the importation of enslaved Africans, and in 1784, he proposed an ordinance banning slavery in the Northwest territories. Jefferson's Ordinance of 1784 influenced the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. However, Jefferson's actions as president contradicted his professed beliefs. He won the election with the support of southern states, which had gained greater representation due to the counting of slaves as three-fifths of their total population. Jefferson also opposed a Missouri statehood application amendment that banned domestic slave importation and freed slaves at a certain age, demonstrating his inconsistency on the issue.
A President's Term: Time in Office Explored
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Thomas Jefferson did talk about slavery in early drafts of the Declaration of Independence, referring to it as a "cruel war against human nature itself". However, the Continental Congress removed this clause, reducing it to a veiled reference against slavery.
Thomas Jefferson had a complicated relationship with slavery. He wrote that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence, yet he enslaved over 600 people over his lifetime, including his own children with his enslaved concubine Sally Hemings.
Yes, Jefferson drafted a Virginia law in 1778 that prohibited the importation of enslaved Africans. In 1784, he proposed an ordinance that would ban slavery in the Northwest territories. He also submitted a draft for the new Virginia Constitution in 1776, which included the phrase "No person hereafter coming into this country shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever." However, this proposal was not adopted.
Thomas Jefferson did not free his slaves due to his complicated and hypocritical views on race and slavery. He believed that white Americans and enslaved blacks were "separate nations" who could not live together peacefully. He also believed that emancipation should be a democratic process and that it would require the consent of all slave owners.
Thomas Jefferson benefited from slavery in several ways. He won the 1800 presidential election due to the Constitution's counting of slaves as three-fifths of their total population, which gave states with large slave populations greater representation. He also brought slaves from Monticello to work at the White House and profited directly from the slave trade.
![Founding Fathers [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71f9-HsS5nL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
