CONVERSATIONS ON JEFFERSON AND JEFFERSONIAN POLITICS
Why Didn't Jefferson Free His Slaves?
Todd"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
When these words are spoken it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling all over but what did Jefferson really mean? Can you please explain to me why a man who was such a champion of human rights and freedom decided not to free his slaves?
I have my own theroy on this matter but would like other opinions.
July 2, 2001
GeorgeA good question. Thomas Jefferson did not free his own slaves for several reasons, we can surmise. First "freeing" slaves was not an easy task. The owner had to put up a bond to pay for any transgressions the slave commited on society while free. Also, slaves being considered property, they were subject to debt and property laws. If a owner of slaves was in massive debt, as was Thomas Jefferson to the tune of $100,000.00, freeing them was impossible. In fact once Jefferson died his creditors seized the slaves along with Monticello and sold them at auction. Thomas Jefferson also knew that his own fellow Viginians were not ready nor willing to support emancipation. Jefferson's many attempts at emancipating slaves in the state failed. Also he knew that it would not be humane to free a people into a society that did not want them, and who had their habits nurtured in slavery. Jefferson was a progressive. Many of his fellow Virginians felt he was a dangerous radical on slavery. Being progressive he knew that time and patience would eventually destroy the institution. It is amazing how modern Americans want simple solutions to complex social problems, i.e: slavery in the 18th century. We must remember 18th century Americans had no example of a multi-racial society with blacks and whites living together in a state of equality. Thomas Jefferson was very radical and progressive for his time (and ours to a certain extent) and to judge him by 21st century morals and standards is ahistorical and unscientific. Many modern Americans forget that Jefferson lived in a time where equality even between different economic classes of white men was considered dangerously radical.
July 2, 2001
ToddTo go along with Jefferson and his slaves, I also believe this: I don't think you can judge Jefferson by 21st century standards. In the late 1700's it was quite common to have slaves and that was how the South's economy was run. They couldn't have survived otherwise.
July 3, 2001
ToddI knew he was in debt, I never realized how much "red tape" there was to freeing a slave.
July 3, 2001