Philosophy Of The Enlightenment

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.

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.

the claim to the Crown, and he believed that individuals held the right to revolt against a

118). Tanaka was successful in portraying the lack of moral sense Blacks had and how they were obstacles in the way of Jefferson's dream of a Republic in America. The Native population held a similar dilemma for Jefferson in his aspirations for a homogenous society. Tanaka's explains that Indians carried some characteristics that could have been useful and prosperous in a republican society, "…in Jefferson's mind, Indians had potential blacks did not have: They had the intelligence capable of development which could enable them to carry out the commands of their moral sense" (Hollitz, pg.115). Tanaka expresses the fact that Jefferson viewed the Indians as possible compliant citizens of Virginia however; the Natives did not wish to be submissive to the way of American life. Jefferson's articulated in a letter to William Henry Harrison that the current state of Indians in 1803 was problematic and changes to their beliefs and ways of life were necessary in order to ensure a thriving republic, "The decrease of game rendering their subsistence by hunting insufficient, we wish to draw them to agriculture, to spinning and weaving" (Hollitz, pg.120). As both Tanaka and Jefferson alluded to, the Native

In the article, Jefferson initially shows a concern for the African Americans. He expresses emancipating the slaves. He also suggested sending them to another country. Jefferson speaks on how all men are created equal and how slavery is not right.

The philosophies of Thomas Jefferson are often at odds with one another. On one hand, he looks to enlightenment ideals and writes of natural rights and equalities for all men in his drafting of the Declaration of Independence (more on Jefferson’s and the Enlightenment can be found here). He also proposes legislature that prohibits the spread of slavery to new states. However, his role as a slave owner contradicts his philosophy on liberty in a profound way. His book Notes on the State of Virginia represents the depth of his thought against black people as an equal race to whites, and he includes a breakdown for the reasons that he believes integration is not a viable alternative to the problem of slavery (the full content can be read half way down the page here). Then, there are the facts surrounding his personal relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings and the children he fathered with her. This contradiction of attitude and philosophy is directly related to Jefferson’s cultural influences having grown up surrounded by slavery as an acceptable way of life. He ultimately falls back on society’s view of black people as inferior to justify his way of life, and calm his fears of the possible violent ramifications of emancipating his slaves (this is a reference to slave revolts). For more on this topic see my complete work here.

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

States rights were a thing that Jefferson was also very passionate about, as he believed that the central government was strictly meant to handle foreign affairs and that the states were able to govern themselves. Because of this, he strongly opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which he believed were a violation of states’ rights. In retaliation, he made the Kentucky Resolutions, limiting federal powers to what they were written in the Constitution. Although Jefferson was an avid supporter of common man, it seemed that he wasn’t as partial towards minority groups like Blacks and Native Americans. Jefferson owned slaves himself and had suggested removing Native Americans from their homes after the Louisiana Purchase.

There were several motives for the removal of the Indians from their lands, to include racism and land lust. Since they first arrived, the white Americans hadn’t been too fond of the Native Americans. They were thought to be highly uncivilized and they had to go. In his letter to Congress addressing the removal of the Indian tribes, President Jackson

You could agree with Morgan in such as” the belief they were justified in killing Indians and taking their land.” stated in the Lions of the West. In “Thomas Jefferson’s America, 1801” by Stephen Ambrose when Jefferson took offices he became close with the Indians and thought they were noble savages

You give a good break down anaylsis of the Thomas Jefferson's discussion. Jefferson also enlightened people through the Declaration of Independence through his philosphy of stressing human equality and natural human rights. He also set the tone and goals for us to have as a nation. which is why you have very good points when you said he set the the foundation for our nation is absoultely accurate. Overall, it was to revolt against a government that no longer guareenteed us natural rights. It was a way to tell colonist that they too had equal right to be happy and entitlement to certain things. Which is why this such a revoluntionary document and great anaysis.

?savagery? (Takaki, 44). The natives were then considered to be an unimprovable race. They were incapable of being changed, their traits were inherent and their descent caused them to be this way. The thinking of the Americans was that the Indians had to removed off their lands. One of the leaders in this movement was Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was a man who pushed for the advancement of his

In 1830, congress passed The Indian Removal Act, which became a law 2 days later by President Andrew Jackson. The law was to reach a fairly, voluntarily, and peacefully agreement for the Indians to move. It didn’t permit the president to persuade them unwillingly to give up their land by using force. But, “President Jackson and his government

Jefferson felt very strongly about the freedom of an individual. His idea of freedom was that the individual was independent, and not under the control of a government for example. There were two main things that Jefferson was concerned with, debt and distrust of men who were landless workers (124). With the first he felt that while under debt a man had very limited freedom of action. The landless workers he felt were very dependent. They had to work because there was no land for backup. In these times owning property was an important part of being a free man. Perhaps this led to slavery for those who did not own land. Many think slavery was always race based, but Jefferson?s position shows a different view.

Jefferson reflects the ideals of the Enlightenment in this letter. He wants that all men be equal, dark or light skinned, because it will promote peace worldwide. In the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the first article reads, “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.” This article is not upheld in colonization efforts even though it is an Enlightenment notion of freedom. In Saint-Domingue, the Portuguese efforts to overpower the natives’ revolutionary activity strictly violates Article I. The social distinctions between the Creoles and natives do not benefit the general good, rather they are detrimental to natives’ lives, liberties and pursuits of happiness through