thomas jefferson on slavery
“We Hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness—“(Jefferson). These words are arguably the most recognized words ever written in American history and are the backbone of our countries right to freedom. Thomas Jefferson, the author of The Declaration of Independence, is one of the few historical American leaders that need no introduction. Jefferson was born on April 13th, 1743 in Albemarle county, Virginia. Jefferson was a man of many talents that included, but not limited to, law, politics, writing, architecture, and planting. The three achievements that Jefferson wanted to be remembered for, which were inscribed on his tombstone, are, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, the introduction of the Virginia bill of religious liberty, and the founding of the University of Virginia. Jefferson not only founded the University of Virginia but “He conceived it, planned it, designed it, and supervised both its construction and the hiring of the faculty”(Borden). Jefferson is considered one
The question that puzzles most Americans is, how could the man who wrote, “All men are created equal” own slaves? This question has been asked over and over throughout the history of our great nation. This is the thing that contemporary Americans find most vexing about him. In order to answer this question we first must explore the society and times that Jefferson grew up in and considered being the standard. In conclusion, Jefferson’s name has always been synonymous with that of slave owner. Jefferson struggled with this his whole life. On the other hand, he was indirectly instrumental in the abolition of slavery. “Jefferson had taken what was merely a national struggle, the American struggle for independence and cast it in rhetoric that made it a human struggle. And by doing so, he sowed the seeds of the end of the peculiar institution of slavery” (Will). Thomas Jefferson should be remembered as the founding father that arguably did more for our great country than any other man or women of his time. Jefferson was also instrumental in ending of slave trading. In 1776, Jefferson proposed a bill to end slave trading. In 1778 Virginia adopted it as law. In a biography written about Jefferson, it stated that, “The may session of the 1778 also, notwithstanding the exigencies of the war, was distinguished by a civil transaction which in intimately connected with the reputation of Mr. Jefferson and the honor of our country, namely the abolition of slave trade “(Coates). This bill proposed stern penalties for the introduction of any slaves into Virginia and provided for the immediate release of any that were brought in illegally. Virginia led by example and was followed by Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. “In 1794 congress of the United States interdicted the trade from all ports of the union under severe penalties” (Coates). Vidal, Gore. “Interview by Ken Burns” 15 Nov. 98 Coates, Robert E. “Life of Thomas Jefferson” 23 Nov. 98
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Approximate Word count = 2422
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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