JEFFERSON AND SLAVERY.

The progress of Negroe freedom in America since the end of revolution to the early nineteenth century owe a lot to the entire works of U.S president Thomas Jefferson. Over time, Jeffersons commitment to end slavery in America has received mixed reactions among various people across the globe. Some have adored his commitment to end slavery while others have criticized this commitment terming it as mere hypocrisy given that some aspects of his life proved otherwise. Since the 1700s, Jefferson writings have solely been the basis for all issues involving slavery and Negroes freedom in America until the nineteenth century. From policy formulation, to scholarly work, to human rights organizations work regarding slavery, Jeffersons only book Notes on the state of Virginia and his other writings have been the reference point, assuming a great influence as people read and react to the ideologies he put forward. His work came at a time when the slavery business had proved promising to the American salve traders and that the institution was lawfully supported. Being a states man, Jefferson succeeded in giving an in-depth insight to the ideologies seeking to condemn attitudes towards slavery and these ideologies have been of paramount importance in the study of slavery in America.

The issue of racial discrimination has been as scary as very in America. Since time immemorial, Americans have always held the opinion that Negroes are and will in no way be equal to the Whites. In the 1600s for instance slave trade was at its peak and the government then did all it could to separate the Negroes from the Whites. Negroes have ever been discriminated at all circles despite the efforts of human rights groups to stop the trend. Even in the midst of the influential works of Thomas Jefferson, negative racial ethnicity has been a subject that seems far from being resolved in America. In South America for instance there was intense Negros discrimination at the time of World War I. In a September 8th 1858 speech, President Lincoln, asserted that Negroes were in no manner and will never be equal to the whites and put it that he was not intending to install the slightest equality between the whites and Negroes saying that there existed an enormous physical difference between the two races which forbid their interaction. Lincoln though indicated that Whites superiority should not deny the Negroes everything and by this he said that, it seems to me quite possible for us to get along without making either slave or wives of Negroes.
   
In an 1862 response to Greely, Lincoln stated his stand concerning slavery which brewed controversy among the proponents of emancipation. Though he stated his constitutional obligation to maintain equality, an assessment of his performance in office by Greely indicated that he never kept to the obligation he had stated in his editorial. His stand on slavery though was evident from his view, If I could save the union without freeing any slave I would do it. The question of racial inferiority of the Negroes has been furthered by almost very literary work in the U.S with many basing on certain natural factors to justify this claim. In Of National Characters, David Hume associates the climatic conditions and the location of the Negroes origin Africa, to be the cause of physical and mental inferiority of the Negroes. He goes ahead to support these claims by saying unlike other barbarous white communities such the early Germans, Negroes lack any eminent thing associated with them in history not education, not arts, nor even civilization. He admits though to the fact that Negros easily distinguishes themselves in any venture they get in.

A 1798 Negros entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica describes Negroes as a distinct race not in any close to other races. This article describes ugliness and irregularity of shape as a feature of Negroes and associates them with every vice on planet earth and argues that Negroes lack a conscience. This is just an evidence of whites perception of the Negroes which has been the basis for utter discrimination of Blacks by the white community. It has been worrying to find the work of the elite of the white community enhance racial discrimination by their rather offensive characterization of the blacks. As Jefferson noted, this perception has been inherited by generations ever and thus have made racism to be persistence. Actions by most elite such s the Governor William Harrison have furthered racism as is evident from an 1803 letter he wrote explaining how he would do very thing even if it meant repressing the Indians to maintain the unity of the whites states.
                         
Jefferson stood his ground amidst the then America culture and his work has contributed to culture change and is considered as a voice that instilled an important turn of events in the cultural arena of America even though some people have criticized his conclusions. He wrote that even though there may be physical differences between the whites and the Negroes they ought to be allowed to have their freedom as they are not under any ones obligation. Jefferson regarded the slavery as abominable and an immoral practice that is incompliant to the natural rights of individuals. He perceived slavery as denying the Negroes their natural rights to pursue happiness, liberty and life. He asserted his perception and abhorrence for slavery in the only book he published Notes on Virginia and other private and public writings in which he refers to slavery as a great moral and political evil.  He once wrote in an encyclopedia entry for The United States that humans are the most incomprehensible and stupendous in a bid to express his loathsomeness for slavery. He severally referred to the law and will of God as condemning slavery. Regarding the unjust association between slaves and their master, he writes in his Notes on Virginia as,

A perpetual exercise of the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other. Our children see this, and learn to imitate it for man is an imitative animal. . . . The parent storms, the child looks on, catches the lineaments of wrath, puts on the same airs in the circle of smaller slaves, gives a loose to his worst of passions, and thus nursed, educated, and daily exercised in tyranny, cannot but be stamped by it with odious peculiarities. The man must be a prodigy who can retain his manners and morals underrated by such circumstances Jefferson could not demonstrate his condemnation for slavery any better than seeking to form and enforce policy that would see the emancipation of slaves. In his works, he based his argument on the fact that very one was born free and he worked tirelessly to get this message across to his peers in congress. 

Jefferson works came at a time when everything possible had been done specifically by the government to legalize and promote slave trade. In 1962 for instance, the government ha passed a law that distinguished a slave and a free man based on mothers race. Also in 1723, a law was enforced that denied any master the right to free a slave even through a last testament or will. Jefferson then perceived slavery as a failure to observe Gods will of liberty and freedom and asserted this believe when he wrote in his Notes on Virginia that, with what execration should the statesman be loaded, who, permitting one half the citizens thus to trample on the rights of the other, transforms those into despots, and these into enemies, can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of god That they are not to be violated but with his wrath Indeed I tremble for my country when reflect that God is just that his justice cannot sleep for ever . . . The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest

Through varied works, Jefferson has been credited with all the enviable developments that have to date continued to ensure the provision of freedom to the Negroes. He set the stage for emancipation of slaves in 1769 when as a member of the Burgesses Virginia House, was involved in the formation of the Manumission by deed which sought to denounce the 1723 slavery law. The bill which he singed into law gave slave masters the authority to free slaves through a last will in which a master could transfer property interest in a slave through deed back to the slave and thus emancipating himher. While practicing law, he asserted for the freedom of slaves by indicating that all people were born free. Such as in the case of Netherlands Howel V. He was instrumental in drafting the two constitutions that sought to eliminate slavery in America. The 1776 draft went No person hereafter coming into this county shall be held within the same in slavery under any pretext whatever. Like the 1776 draft, the 1783 draft further asserted this decision to stop slave trade. In the later draft he wrote,

The General assembly shall not have to power to ... permit the introduction of any more slaves to reside in this state, or the continuance of slavery beyond the generation which shall be living on the 31st day of December 1800 all persons born after that day being hereby declared free.  
In the federal congress, he wrote the report on the western Territories government which stated that after the Christian era of 1800, no one would be enslaved in the entire United States unless following punishment for which one was convicted guilty of an offense. Jefferson lamented over the deletion of the slavery abolition bill following a one vote defeat.

Written in 1781, Notes on Virginia is the voice of Jefferson which has continued to condemn slavery among the world community. Driven by neutrality, Jefferson wrote it while still governor to assert equality among different races. He advocated for the rights of the Negroes slaves who were highly discriminated at the time. John Adams confirmed this in his works on slavery by referring to Jefferson works as worth more than diamonds and that it had an immense impact than books written by other mere philosophers. The post revolutionary period witnessed enormous changes regarding the attitudes held by Americans on slavery. With time, a number of Americans began to see the reality that Negroes as well could excel in any venture just like the Americans did. This change of attitude could not have possibly occurred had Jefferson not assumed the responsibility of condemning slave trade which before then did not seem by abominable. Jeffersons ideology and attitude has influenced and revoked many human rights movements and debates at both government and civilian levels that have since then been instrumental in establishing equality among the American communities. Jordans analysis of Jeffersons work creates the notion that slavery in America could only be solved not by policy but by individual commitment. Jeffersons work though, sparks controversy with some claiming that he lived a lie given that he owned slaves himself leave alone fathering a son with a slave girl. According to Jordan, Jefferson was in part voicing what had already been proposed by some other people such as John Loche who had outlined the need for freedom a century earlier. Jordan provides a clear picture that the status of slavery in America could have been effectively solved had Jefferson done more to avoid flaws and compromises. For instance he instituted some harsh codes on slavery that contrasted his call for life and liberty of the slaves. Jefferson relationship with Sally Hemming has received much criticism by those who are skeptical of his works and who feel that Jefferson was living a lie. To some extent he failed to set the right momentum for abolition in that having succeeded in passing the manumission laws, he failed to take advantage of them as he freed only seven out of close to forty slaves he owned as adult.

The situation of slavery in America is thus seen to be a question of action and not just policy formulation. Jefferson succeed in passing the slave abolition laws but was not instrumental enough in enforcing them thus explaining  the reason why even after the manumission law was passed most slaves still had no liberty. Frederick Douglas writes of July Four as a mere illusion to the Negroes as they still had not realized this liberty and life Jefferson brought forward in his drafts.

Despite criticisms, Jefferson remains to be one single person who has contributed a lot to the foundation of the institution of racial rights in America. Later works of other American presidents show that the institution of slavery was still not completely abolished as for example the America went ahead to colonize the African states in the 20th century. The influence that Jefferson impacted is a clear indication the he was the single person through the equality principle in the Declaration for Independence to have devotedly sought to abolish the institution of slavery. Its hard to figure out how slavery and racism would be like in America today had Jefferson not set ablaze the fire of liberty.

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