Thomam Jefferson

The name Thomas Jefferson is a commonly heard name in economics, politics, and science, even years after his death. This is because Thomas Jefferson was an extremely important political figure in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Thomas Jefferson served as the third President of the United States, major author of the Declaration of Independence, governor of Virginia, and many other important political power positions. The importance of Jefferson’s opinion escaladed through these political positions. It is important to study Jefferson’s opinion on such a matter of emancipation to understand his actions in while he had political power. Jefferson’s liberal and non-racist opinion of slavery led to his important and actions towards abolition.

On the political front, Jefferson was active in supporting the abolition of slaves. During Jefferson’s time as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, he supported “a bill to allow the private manumission of slaves”. This bill is one of Jefferson’s first cases he participated in, and even though it was rejected, Jefferson made his position that he sided with abolishing slavery clear to his counterparts. Years later, Jefferson attempted to put a diatribe in the Declaration of Independence against the slave trade, but the diatribe was turned down by Continental Congress. Many critics of Jefferson’s political work argue that Jefferson only supported abolition bills that he knew would fail, but would earn him support from abolitionists. This idea is false, because Jefferson’s compassion for slaves and liberalistic ideology echoes through his attitude with his own slaves.

Jefferson’s liberal attitude towards his slaves exemplified Jefferson opinion that whites are very demeaning and harsh to their slave counterparts, causing violence and tension between the two races. Jefferson believed that whites who owned slaves showed a lack of morals and manners. Jefferson argues that it is by nature that blacks are born black, and that it...