Thomas Jefferson Live Up To Values And Beliefs

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.

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 mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Thomas Jefferson believed those words as he chose to write the Summary View of the Rights of British America, The Declaration of Independence, and the Virginia Constitution. Jefferson retained many powerful beliefs about the freedom and rights of America. Jefferson was an amazingly gifted writer. He knew what he wanted to express and how to put it into words. These writings along with many more played an immense part in gaining America the freedom we enjoy today.

He denounced slave owners while he was owning and using slaves. Thomas Jefferson was supposedly a good slave owner and his hypocritical ways accused others not to own slaves. Jefferson believed that slaves were dependent on the white men, when he himself depended on his

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).

Thomas Jefferson was born and raised in Virginia, where he became a lawyer and plantation owner. Jefferson won the 1800 election with ten states voting for him and Aaron Burr came in second with four states this vote broke the tie between the two. He bought the Louisiana Territory even though the constitution never said he could. His time in office ended March 3rd, 1809 after he finished his second term. He believed strongly in political ideology within the tradition of the English Whigs. During Jefferson’s presidency the nation had tremendous growth.

Thomas Jefferson did a numerous amount of political work for our country. He is idolized as one of our country’s founding fathers. He was one of the first to take part in American Democracy and signed the infamous “Declaration of Independence” Jefferson was a culture hero and always will be. When looking at different literary texts about Jefferson, or written by Jefferson himself it is hard to ignore his relationship with slavery. Notes on the State of Virginia by Jefferson and the related documents edited by David Waldstreicher show us a glimpse into his connection with slavery.

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

1. He was the 3rd president of the U.S. 2. Thomas Jefferson served as the 1st Secretary of State from 1790-1793. 3. He was elected as a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1775.

I feel that Thomas Jefferson was a good and effective President. Though he had many defining events in his tenure as President that could be viewed as bad, I feel the majority of his term was a very successful one. It was under Jefferson that the United States greatly expanded its territory. Two important events occur thanks to President Jefferson that led to this expansion.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that their creator with certain unalienable rights endows them, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. -That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” – Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of independence 1776. Thomas Jefferson was inspired to create and improve and a new country by setting ideals. However, just as any ideals or laws not everyone obeys or respects them. America has not lived up to the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence because people have a mind set that everyone is equal but some are more equal than others, opportunity is only an illusion

After viewing the documentary about Thomas Jefferson in class, please answer in complete sentences the following three questions:

During the last seventeen years of his life, Jefferson returned to Virginia to live out the rest of his days at Monticello. In 1815, Jefferson sold his personal library to congress for $23,950 to replace books lost during the war of 1812, when the British burned the U.S. capitol, which housed the Library of Congress. Jefferson also dedicated his later years to organizing the university of Virginia. He personally designed the school’s buildings and curriculum, and ensured that unlike other American colleges at the time, the school had no religious affiliation or religious requirements for its students. The university of Virginia opened its doors on March 7, 1825, one of the proudest days of Jefferson’s life.

Thomas Jefferson is arguably one of the most well-known founding fathers of America. With Thomas Jefferson as its primary author, the Declaration of Independence contains the famous words, “all men are created equal”. While this phrase has become iconic in the representation of America, it has also drawn a focus to Jefferson’s troubling ideas on equality. These ideas are most avidly presented in his Notes on the State of Virginia. David Walker, an avid abolitionist, takes it upon himself to address these ideas in his Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World. By effectively rebutting the arguments of race superiority and slavery, presented in Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, combined with Jefferson’s reputation as a highly