A Peoples History of the United States vs the Enduring Vision.

Thomas Jefferson did not believe in racial equality, and thought that blacks were intellectually inferior. However in one of the most important documents in American history is the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson himself, he says ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by there creator...” Jefferson knew that his ownership of slaves contradicted his principles. What Jefferson wanted most was for slaves to one day be free, he wanted them to go back to Africa. He refused to grant freedom to his own slaves because of their significances to his wealth, but overall he condemned slavery.

Also, the variety of viewpoints presented in this book help to expand the reader’s knowledge. The editors provide a well-rounded collection of additional works that show the reader some of the major theories on a historical event. Basically, a reader is able to see historical issues through the eyes of professional historians. Interpretations of American History does not merely state the facts, it allows the reader to decide where they stand on the historical event in question. This can lead to a deeper, more profound study of history.

Throughout Jefferson’s notes, Jefferson goes on to explain that he understands that the very concept of slavery goes against his philosophy in which he instilled into the Declaration of Independence. As one of the father of our nation, we the people should expect our leaders to uphold certain standards when it comes to human rights of their vary nation. To quote our fathering document, the Declaration of Independence, “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…” This however, brings up the point on whether or not Jefferson viewed the African slaves as “all men.” In the excerpt from his notes, Jefferson discusses that he believes that slavery should not exist but he also believed that once a slave is free, he or she can no longer live in the same society as one who which they have slaved for.

Of slavery, the third President of the United States and co-writer of the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution of the United States wrote: "But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other." This quote illustrates the role that slavery played in the western world at the end of the eighteenth century. In "The Declaration of Independence," Jefferson wrote that: "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 1776). According to this document, all human beings should be considered equal, but this does not take into account Africans who were not treated as equals and were not even treated as human beings at this time in history. Many people, including Jefferson desired that an end to slavery be written into the Constitution, a move that was decided against when the delegates realized that the southern states would never ratify the document if it contained that demand. The conflict between abolitionists and anti-abolitionists was an issue which would not be resolved until nearly a century after Jefferson's writings, but it is clear from this statement that he and others felt the issue keenly and were trying to find a way to deal with it, but were

The man who started criticizing him as probably the writer Leonard Levy’s in his Book “Jefferson and Civil Liberties: The Darker Side”. In Chapter 14 “Hope and Heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson”, Gordon Wood really talks about Jefferson’s personal life. Thomas Jefferson is described as someone who had passion for partisan persecution, someone who didn’t care about the civil liberties, someone who thought he was morally perfect and used to judge people around him. In the chapter, they are comparing him to his friend James Madison. Thomas Jefferson wasn’t thinking about the country like Madison when he was taking decisions. While taking his decisions, he was mostly concerned about what his French friends would think of it than the needs of the American population. The main portion of Jefferson’s life, was his fight to abolish slavery. As it is written in this chapter, Thomas Jefferson hated slavery. He worked really hard to eradicate it in New Western territories. But apparently, he was never able to set all his slaves free. Many recent historians claimed that Jefferson’s acting toward Black people was very disgusting, revolting. Especially for someone who claimed that he wanted to eradicate slavery. During his life, he wanted to make sure that the eradication of slavery will be accompanied by the deportation of Back people of the country. For him, Black people living in a white’s man America was totally unbearable. He was “Racist”. In his

Jefferson was cruel; he did not care for nobody but himself. “Jefferson also dodged opportunities to undermine slavery or promote racial equality. As a state legislator he blocked consideration of a law that might have eventually ended slavery in the state.” .” (Finkelman, Paul, “The Monster of Monticello”. The New York Times. N.p. Nov, 30 2012. Web. 25, February 2014) African Americans were having chances to become freed or to become equal to as other races, but Thomas Jefferson did things that interfered with the process of freeing slaves and at the end the laws did not passed because of his decision. In fact Jefferson thought of slaves pesticides. According to Finkelman, “Jefferson told his neighbor Edward Coles not

Commonly, people believe that Thomas Jefferson is a hypocrite, due to the fact that one of his most famous quotes is “all men are created equal”. Although that was one of his famous quotes, he owned slaves all throughout his lifetime. The topic over slavery including Thomas Jefferson is extremely controversial today in America.

Thomas Jefferson is a man who really needs no introduction. He was recognized as a luminous writer who was appointed to draft the Declaration of Independence. Congress formally approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Jefferson owned many slaves that worked for him. He would often even sell his slaves to buy others. Why then would he write in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal”? Is it possible that Thomas Jefferson was a hypocrite and only wrote what the population wanted to see? Did Thomas Jefferson enjoy owning slaves just as his other wealthy peers did? Neither one of those is true. Thomas Jefferson thought slavery was morally wrong and he thought that it should be abolished. We will take a

“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). This is what the secretary of state said in his famous document. If he actually believed in his own “beliefs”, then he wouldn’t have owned slaves of his own, nor would he have been against the idea of getting rid of slavery for good.

While asserting what he thought to be natural and legal rights, he wrote, "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 156). Even though he said all men are created equally, Jefferson owned slaves and had them working his plantation. Although this document was written after Equiano reached America, there were many slaves that followed him who were treated the same way. Though it was not stated, Jefferson was writing these ideas with only one type of person in mind: white

Thomas Jefferson was a constant opponent of slavery. Considering it a "moral depravity" 1 and a "horrible stain", he thought that slaves presented greatest threat to the survival of the new American nation. Jefferson also considered slavery to be contrary to the laws of nature, everyone had the right to personal liberty. From Thomas's point of view, he thought that free labor was the norm. In 1778, he enrolled a Virginia law that exclude the importation of enslaved Africans. In 1784, he projected an order that would do the same with the abolition of slavery. Prohibit slavery in the Northwest Territories. Nevertheless Jefferson always maintained that the decision to emancipate the slaves would have to be part of a democratic process; Abolition would be stalled until the slaveholders consented to liberate their human property in an act of large-scale emancipation. For Jefferson, it was antidemocratic and opposing to the principles of the American Revolution that the federal government propagate abolition or that only a few planters liberated their slaves (Dierksheide).

After reading Thomas Jefferson's notes on slaves in, Notes on the State of Virginia, it appears that his goals were the emancipation of slavery and reforming Virginia but, it was hard to take him seriously about his position on slavery,due to the fact that he was a slave owner himself. However, Jefferson sometimes would say how "blacks" were an inferior race to "whites". For example in Notes on the State of Virginia he said, "Comparing them by their faculties of memory, reason, and imagination, it appears to me that in memory they are equal to whites; in reason much inferior. The blacks...are inferior to the whites in endowments both of body and mind." (Jefferson 764-765) I believe that Jefferson was against slavery, although in that time in

The Declaration of Independence is a symbol of the birth of this nation, but also of the constant struggle to achieve its ideals. Ideals like “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, the unalienable rights of the United States. The document also states that “it’s the right of the people to abolish it and institute a new government” whenever the government becomes destructive of the unalienable rights. I think it’s safe to say that Thomas Jefferson didn't just intend for the document to be read for the people to follow through with its words. However there is no mention of slavery or black people, or even women for that matter, on this primitive statement on the equal rights of man, and it

Thomas Jefferson, an American president fought for equality between men, but he owned slaves himself. In 1776 Jefferson went to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence, which included the statement “all men are created equal” but for some reason that didn't include slaves. During the era of the American Revolution, 1775- 1780s, Jefferson spent most of his time in legislature fighting for the abolishment of slavery. In 1778 Jefferson passed a law in the state of Virginia that prohibited any new importations of African born slaves. Jefferson's ambition lead him to a proposal, abolishment of slavery in the Northwest area in the year 1784. In 1804, The Northwest states voted and meet with an agreement that all slavery be banished with in the states. This would become a major role in the Civil War. Jefferson's political views of slavery were to abolish it, and to create all men equal, but do to different opinions of slavery he was unable to create a nation of equality. Politically Jefferson disagreed with slavery, but do to personal reasons he still was a slave owner.

When people think of our third president, Thomas Jefferson, the general impression is positive. He is often viewed as a role model for our country, but he is actually an advocate for our nation’s most disgraceful system in history. As a wealthy plantation owner, Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves. These slaves worked in harsh conditions and did extremely difficult tasks. Men, women, and children were exploited for their labor and given little to no compensation.