Module 5: Jefferson and Slaves
Eric Foner says “ White Americans increasingly viewed blacks as permanently deficient in the qualities that made freedom possible—the capacity for self control, reason, and devotion to the larger community.” In those days, it was still major idea that blacks are inferior to whites, but there are some people who wanted to know the truth.
Thomas Jefferson doesn’t like to agree with the idea without any scientific researches. Benjamin Banneker was a free African American from Maryland. He was the first American American mathematician. On August 19, 1791, Banneker Jefferson and he sent a letter and a copy of an astronomical almanac he had published. The “Sable Astronomer” was often pointed to as proof that African Americans were not intellectually in ferior to European Americans. Thomas Jefferson replied to Banneker’s letter on August 30 and he wrote “ No body wishes more than I do, to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren talents equal to those of other colors of men. …” Thomas Jefferson had three kids with his slave, Sally Hemings. People asked him, “Didn’t you say humans are equal? Then why did you have slaves?” I believe that Thomas Jefferson trusted that humans are equal. The reason why I think he had three kids with her was he just loved her. Sally Hemings was his family’s slaves but she was also his late wife’s half-sister. He had a nearly forty years long relationship with her. He got three kids after his wife died. If he really loved her, nothing was strange to keep her in his house and have kids. People called her slave but nobody knows how he treated her. When her kids became about 21, he freed all of them. I think he wanted to free them soon, but he had a responsibility to take care of them. Thomas Jefferson was the man who really believed people’s equality and who was a big father.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.progress.org/banneker/bb.html
http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson - Marriage_and_family
Hi Em,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post about Thomas Jefferson. While enjoyed reading about your point of view, I'm not sure if I agree. I'm torn on the facts about how Jefferson tried to abolish slavery but then owned slaves himself.
In researching about Jefferson, it seemed difficult to find actual sources besides hearsay over parts of his private life. It seems historians still are at odds over his relationship with Sally. Jefferson would not comment publicly or privately about the acusations. Sally did not leave any type of writing behind to state if the rumors were true or not. After a DNA test in 1998 the Thomas Jefferson Foundation formed a committee to look more into the matter. They came to the conclusion that all six of Sally's children maybe Jefferson's, while the Thomas Jefferson Society believes Sally was not that important in Jefferson's life and that he did not father any of her children. (The Jefferson Monticello)
It's difficult for me to believe that a person that owned slaves was so against slavery. While sources state that he only owned slaves due to not being able to free them because of his debt, but then sources go on to say he had his slaves trained and schooled in high quality skills. I would think if he was in debt he would not have been able to afford the training and schooling for his slaves.
It's also difficult for me to accept Jefferson believed all humans were equal when he believed in the Indian removal plan and did not believe in women in politics.
In closing, I would like to reiterate that I did enjoy and respect your opinion of Thomas Jefferson. While I found many sources that confirmed theory of your point, history still seems to be lacking proof of his relationship with Sally. While Thomas Jefferson did try to end slavery, I don't feel he believed all humans should be treated equal.
Sources:
Thomas Jefferson. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings: A Brief Account. http://www.monticello.org/plantation/hemingscontro/hemings-jefferson_contro.html