Thomas Jefferson Contradictions

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.

He wanted to avoid building a nation based on industrialization and manufacturing; he believed it would most likely lead to immorality. He had profound confidence in America’s potential for a great nation. According to etext.virginia.edu, he believed all men had certain rights, rights that could not be destroyed or created, and stand whether or not government is present. For Jefferson, a suitable government was one that did not limit individual rights, nor did it allow any individual to limit the rights of another.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” Thomas Jefferson believed the best government was the one that governs the least . Jefferson stressed how a small government with limited powers is most likely to leave the people alone and have them enjoy the Blessings of Liberty. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson was a man who had numerous accomplishments in his life. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, founder of the University of Virginia, and the third President of the United States. His strict interpretation of the Constitution was due to his belief that the charter was designed to provide the people with a say in governmental affairs. Mr. Jefferson won the approval from the working class because he fought for them and not the powerful interests of the wealthy. Although Jefferson was a vocal and active leader in the rights of states, his recommendation of the Embargo Act and his support of the Non-Intercourse act resulted in his failure as the Commander In Chief.

Thomas Jefferson was elected in the 1800’s as the President of United States. During the years of being a president, Thomas Jefferson executed the job very well. He was a great leader for his accomplishments and his philosophies that affected politically as well in other ways; he also showed a lot of affection against slavery. Firstly, Thomas Jefferson was an opponent of slavery. According to research, Thomas Jefferson had said slavery was “moral depravity and hideous blot” (Thomas Jefferson and Slavery Monticello).

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.

I identify with Jefferson because he works for the people. He focused on states’ rights because what may benefit New York might hurt Georgia. Our country has many different industries with the southern states being predominately agriculture and the northern states primarily manufacturing. An example of economic division would be the tariff of 1789. The tariff supported high duties on trade which protected the northern states manufacturing economy but cost the southern planters. The cargo that transported agricultural goods was taxed which became a burden on southern planters. Hamilton pushed for this tariff because he wanted to jump start the small industry in the north. Jefferson disagreed with Hamilton pointing out that tariffs should only be used to raise money for the government and not to create a private sector such as manufacturing. This relates to Jefferson believing in the “invisible hand” theory. That a free

Thomas Jefferson, who led from 1801-1809, was an avid enthusiast of the common man and self government. He believed that the sole purpose of the government was to look out for and support the interests of

Jefferson wanted a separation of powers within the government in order to prevent one person or group having a tyrannical hold over the nation. He believed

Thomas Jefferson was an early American politician, who was well-known for his actions during his presidency. He was labeled as a Democratic-Republican, meaning he favored stronger rights of individual states, rather than a central government with a lot of power. That is, at least in the years prior to his presidency. After he was elected, however, his convictions totally changed. During his presidency, three major events; his war with the Barbary Pirates, his restrictive economic policies, and the Louisiana Purchase, all directly contradicted the beliefs of himself and other Democratic-Republicans.

Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers. He emphasized liberty, democracy, and social welfare and believed that

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

Jefferson was the founder of the Democratic-Republic Party and believed in an agrarian society with strong local governments (i.e. a weak central government). He thought that the states should yield most of the power so that the citizens could control what happens to them

Thomas Jefferson was responsible for ousting the dominant federalist rule that had existed since 1776. He not only viewed it as starkly different from his republican view, but also as a wrong approach to the nation’s governance. During his election in 1801 he said that it had marked a return to the revolutionary principles of 76’. Though Jefferson was right to some extent, his narrative was incomplete due to toleration of slavery and maintenance of powerful federalists under republican reign.

Jefferson didn't like high taxes, tariffs, regulations or even a national bank. These were all in violation of the kind of society and government he wished to see. Jefferson believed in a utopia where all people would be self-sufficient farmers and have their own property, and a small government would be used to do the minimal amount of work needed to keep the peace. Therefore, an economic system was practically nonexistent.

Just because Thomas Jefferson was famous for being true and honest does not mean he was. He was known to be a great person but he did some stuff that made people dislike him. He wrote in the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal”, but Jefferson only said that, he did not really think this way.