3 of 8

Write now Article Tools

Everybody knows that Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of the great United States of America. He was the third president of the US and was also the author of the Declaration of Independence. Not alot of people know though, that he also owned slaves. As a matter of fact, he fathered a child with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings. This may sound funny but Thomas Jefferson actually opposed slavery.

Jefferson has always been known as the author of the Declartion of Indepedendence and also was the framer of the statute of Virginia, his home state. In both of these documents, he stressed that he was opposed to slavery.

This sounds funny because he was known to have owned over 100 slaves. When Jefferson died, several of his slaves became free but due to the debts he had the rest of his servants were used to pay the debts.

He kept slaves more or less to use as workers on his farm. It was even told that he taught them to read and write which was very uncommon back in those days.

It's hard to actually pinpoint an argument about slavery because nobody on this planet was alive during slave days. Jefferson refered to his slaves as indentured servants. These were people who helped and done work on his farm. Why in the world would he want to beat and kill people who were laborers for him.

My point is this. The African American race by far is one that has been an oppressed and long suffering people. Slavery was an institution that was brought here by the early settlers, again used as workers. When black Americans look back at their oppressive past, they think of slaves being beat, KKK, the Jim Crow South. Look at the progress that slaves have made, better yet that African Americans have made. Going into 2008, this country is on the verge to vote in a black president. Who would have thought that was going to happen.

Thomas Jefferson was a man of his time. He was the one that wrote "all men should be created equal and have equal protection under the law." When he wrote this he had slaves in mind. Jefferson knew that one day there would be no choice but to let slaves go about their own lives and not have them confined. Yes, he used and owned slaves, but he also was the person who set the wheels in motion to have the slaves freed.

Learn more about this author, Chad Morgan.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery?
We want to hear your view. Write now!