My up next university of mary. Discusses the life of Thomas Jefferson. His actions on slavery and race. This video is courtesy he of the university. Its part of their lecture series. Mean i am pleased to announce, a special miniseries of six lectures every entitled great president ial lives. Daily this series is particularly attractive for two main reasons, the first being its timeliness. As we face a president ial Election Year and you prepare for it, it will be an insight that all really of us can benefit from. The second is the speaker himself, our indus esteemed professor, william beak raleigh who has just completed 50 years on the faculty of the university of Mary Washington. During the half century doctor crowley, has been effective in numerous ways. Our Historic Preservation program, and this american 1959 a turnover amazing great life series. And it is for his for essence of teaching that he is best known. And to thousands of our students that have walked through our halls. He is received our institutions highest honor in teaching, both from his colleagues and from his students. Many of whom through the years have voted him as the faculty member, who has made the greatest impact upon their lives. Doctor crowley through these years has become a true icon of this community. So it is with great pleasure that i introduce Professor William crawlies. Who drawing upon his years of teaching and political history, has learned from shared so much of his knowledge. I will be sharing it again with us today, as you look at the life of one of six highly interesting, and sometimes controversial president s. And like many modern president s, none is so straightforward as a story may recall, or the history may have told us. Doctor crawling, would you please share with us now. Today its one of the truly iconic, if not controversial president s. Thomas jefferson. Let me begin with a disclaimer, whenever i have spoken on jefferson im reminded of a prominent historian, i once heard who said that he never fully trusted anybodys views on jefferson who had attended the university. Well i have to plead guilty on that score, having spent four years in graduate school, at mr. Jeffersons academic village. He was quite proud of that institution. Specifically directing the words father of the university and the only actually he was one of only three accomplishments that should constitute his epitaph. The other being the father of the declaration of independence. And religious freedoms. The university has historically been very proud of its founder. And treating his memory with such reference, that president howard taft once said, people still talk about mr. Jefferson, as though he was in the next room. And he might overhear them. I trust that my association, is at least hopefully confident to assess his career. Professionally ive always believed, that we should not be to indoctrinate but to enlighten. Not to vilify or demonize the subjects. With that said, the truth is that Thomas Jefferson long held a place and too many, the highest place within the pantheon of our political heroes. Among the nations founders, he possess the widest range of talents and produced the most diverse accomplishments. He has generally been regarded as most intellectual. Calling that often quoted comment from president kennedy, when offering a toast to a group of laureates at the white house, said he constituted the most extraordinary collection of talents and human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the white house. With the possible exception, of one jefferson died alone. It was of course, the eloquent voice that jefferson gave to democracy modern democracy, including most notice notably his declaration that we hold that all men are endowed by their creator and among these of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The very core of the american creed. According lee one historian has claim that quote that no figure in our past has spoken so much about our heritage and our hopes, and it is for that reason that some years ago near the end of the 20th century, and also at the end of the millennium that the columnist suggested, that Thomas Jefferson wasnt feed the most significant person on the planet for the last 1000 years. Well that sounds pretty extravagant. But he makes a plausible case. The argument for jefferson is, that history is essentially and the history of the human mind of ideas. Jefferson was predominantly the mind of the revolution. And the resulted in the birth of the first modern nation, of the 20th century save the world from tyranny. He expressed the american ideals. With his enumerated powers, and expressed it inelegant phrases. Also of the way he lived, as a statesman scientist, architect and educator. Regarding his own legacy, jefferson himself once said to his president ial successor james madison, he said take care of me when did. He did have to worry because for the most part, after the six decades of the 20th century, the historian shared that jefferson was beyond reproach. And he justified his reputation. So lets take a quick, look at jeffersons career. A very very briefly, he was born 1743 people 13th, his father was a farmer who became a successful planter. He joined the upper class by joining by mary jean randall. He was educated he became a successful and wellknown lawyer in virginia. He was opposing in appearance over six foot tall rare for that day, and with red hair. For a public figure he was shy, and avoided appearances whenever possible. He was elected to state legislature, in 1769, by which time he owned more than 25 acres of land and a substantial number of slaves. 1772 he married a young widow, through whom he doubled his property, and increased his number of slaves. He was cast into deep depression, by the death of his wife in 1782. He never remarried. He became known as a supporter of independence of the author and author of the declaration of independence. He served in congress in the federation period in 1780s, and 1785 he replaced the aging Benjamin Franklin and spent time in europe. And that was significant because during that time he became Close Friends with lafayette, and wrote in virginia. He returned to america in 1789, and was appointed to secretary of state by george washington. 1797, he finished a close second for the presidency. He was elected president in 1800. The greatest accomplishment of his administration, was the acquisition of in 1803. After leaving the presidency, he retired two months cello and stayed with his status of the university of virginia, which was founded in 1819. Finally, by strange quirk of fate, this must be the most extraordinary coincidence, well certainly the most extraordinary one that i could ever recall, reading about. Both jefferson and john adams, died on july 4th, 1826. During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the declaration of independence. And you probably heard this, allegedly adams last words were, jefferson lives but he did not. He had died earlier that day. Well, this is very brief, and this indicates that these are great accomplishments. But, as i alluded to earlier they have been recently overshadowed by different protection and negative interpretation, that has risen in the latest generation of jefferson followers. The reason for this decline in his reputation, is not hard to find. That is, these writers have focused major tension on that era in jeffersons life, and certainly the least attractive, and most vulnerable and that is his views on slavery. Perhaps it is predictable, because what happened in an america that in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement became much more keenly aware of racial injustice. And when that happened, it damage to jeffersons unblemished stature wasnt out. Partially ignoring his extraordinary complements, and they have struck at his achilles heel, which was the heel of oppression that he ground into the backs of his slaves. So weve reached the point of the debate where one of his mulch most prominent biographers have declared, jefferson will not be revered in the multi generational future. He falls paul he falls far beyond redemption. And its the crashing of a reputation. Well how about this. That is the basic question i want to address during the remainder of my comments today. I want to do it in the following way, first to examine briefly jeffersons theories, on race and slavery and second to look at his actions about public and private regarding slavery, and in light of crease and criticism, to suggest a summary evaluation, that jefferson has a proper place in history, with regard to slavery in race. So lets look, first then at jeffersons thoughts on racism and slavery, and look at what he actually had to say on the subjects. It is somewhat surprising how little jefferson wrote on anything given his highly intellectual nature. But of what we know if his thought comes mainly from his letters, and from the longest of his publish works. The a for mentioned, notes on the state of virginia. Which was published in france in 19 1785. Even the notes are far from a polish systematic statement of the views, and he did not actually intend for it to be published at all. He literally spawns to a request from a french official when he was in paris and he did so with the intention of being of it being read by a select group. Intellectuals for who he was trying to explain, the government the economy and social structure of his native virginia. It was pirated and became public. So eventually jefferson owned up to it, and with some embarrassment. One of his biographers puts it, jefferson if he had his way the only book he ever wrote and in this case had not been published his opinions on slavery would not have been published. For purposes of our top today, and unfortunately for his place in history, jefferson did leave a fairly quite a bit of information on African American and slavery in particular. So what do these reveal about his thinking. We may do well to begin with what they call his central dilemma. That was that he hated slavery, but thought the gross inferior to whites. This was a serious dichotomy in jeffersons thought. And its caused him a lot of intellectual suffering, just has it has caused modern scholars to think about the true jefferson. He hated slavery but thought blacks inferior to whites. This is a difficult intellectual position. On one hand, he conservatively said there is no indication in any of his works that jefferson felt slavery to be right. Yet at the same time, on the other hand there is every reason to believe that jefferson did not indeed believe that blacks were equal to whites, and that was goes against his words of all men were created equal. What is the effort in evidence in his writing that says he did not agree with slavery. Well its evident that he took no pride in owning slaves. And he tended to regard them as a burden rather than a blessing. It seems that he didnt like the word slave itself and often used servants in lieu of slaves. He acknowledged, on various occasions that he felt that the slaves must have been in his words, miserable and he referred to slavery as a hideous evil. Yet, even though its clear that jefferson did not believe the condition of the slave was desirable, it was not the primary reason why he didnt like slavery. The main reason which he expressed to opposing slavery, was the harmful effect that it had on white society. In other words, his main attack was not against the cruelty of the system to blacks, but against what he believed to be the injustice of the system to whites. And how can that be . This is the way he explained it, in his notes on this. This is a quote now. There was doubtless and influence on our people, produced by the existence of slavery. The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise and the most and rim missing despotism,. That children see this, and learn to imitate. And man is an imitative animal. With the morals of the people, their industry also destroyed, or in a warm climate, no man will labor for himself when he could make another labor for him. And quote. In other words slavery was bad training for democracy. Now opponents, of slavery has traditionally been concerned the fact that the institution upon slaveowners and jefferson was not the first or the last to express such a view but with jefferson it seem to be almost his only concern. As one ofxdi purse puts it, that he said jefferson went to his grave thinking that slavery was detrimental to white people. So jefferson was concerned with what we might call the corrosive internal effect on society. At the same time however, as i noted earlier jefferson believing that the black race was inferior. There are notes on this and there could be little doubt on this point. It is as precisely on this point that most colors today criticize him. In his notes, jefferson addresses himself to what he calls a real distinction that nature has made. And quote. Between the races. In doing so he considers not only physical but, the mental and moral differences. As to the physical, jefferson was predisposed against blacks. Even their color seem to offend him. He wrote at one point for example, disparaging quote that eternal, not need the immovable veil of black which covers all their emotions. As to the mental abilities of African Americans its quite clear, he unquestionably believe that they were inferior. He said, comparing them by their faculties of memory reason and intonation, appears to me that in memory there equal to rights to two whites but in mental capacity inferior. Whenever he was confronted with claims, by black authors and poets, he said that the works weather can be and jefferson remained skeptical of this. That might be assumed, that he attributed some of these perceived shortcomings, to a lack of opportunity. That is to the environment in which African Americans were forced to live. But that was not apparently the case. Said he, quote it is not the recognition, but nature which has produced this distinction. Between the two races. In short, jeffersons fundamental attitude in the issue of rate seems to be summed up, as he quoted passage in which he said quote, i advance it as a suspicion only, but the blacks weather originally a distinct race, made its distinct by time and circumstance are inferior to whites in body and lined. As i noted earlier, jefferson also addressed himself to the physical and mental attributes, but what he called moral sense. Of the African Americans. And in this respect, he argued that blacks were equal to whites. Moreover, he argued that if there were any shortcomings on the part of blacks in this regards, such deficiency should be attributed to the environment. He said if a slave stole chickens from the barnyard, such an act must be ascribed to the situation. If such theory occurred, he claimed it was fully understandable. Quote the man, in whose favor no loss of property exist. Hardly feels himself less bound to respect those laws made in favor of others. Therefore he said might not the slave, justifiably take little from one, who has taken everything from him. So much for jeffersons theories, but what were his actions regarding slavery . Lets look first, his public actions and then will get to his private behavior. Such as we now. At the risk of oversimplification, it might be said that jefferson publicly involved, and had spoken opposition and acquired opposition, to that of despair and acquiescence and resignation to the end of his life. Earlier, in his career for example, there were indications, that he certainly had qualms with slavery and particularly slave trade. As early as 1774, he had two years later, in 1776 he drafted the virginia constitution, which stated flatly that no persons after come to virginia, will be hailed will be held in slavery. So unfortunately that draft was not adopted. With regard to outright abolition. In 1784 he moved to an anti slavery action of his career, it was in that year that he sponsored a bill, before the virginia legislature, which jeffersons attitude towards emancipation. First it was if he withdrew his proposal for the reason he did. Thats because the public would not yet except it. He was a petition and he had to be concerned with Public Opinion. The second revelation, for this episode is that jeffersons proposal, for gradual emancipation, included a provision which would have acquired the removal of all freed slaves. That in his words, is that they should be colonized to such places where circumstances at the time,. And this demand for deportation, of colonization was one of the real constance in jeffersons actions in regards to slavery. He wanted all three back blacks to be sent to the west indies, africa or anywhere outside the United States. So why was this . The answer is that he simply seemed not to believe that the races could live together side by side in harmonious equality. And in virginia, he explained why he felt this way as follows. Deep rooted prejudice, and 10,000 recollections by the blacks the injuries that they have sustained. Real distinction, as nature has made and in many other circumstances, they produced convulsions that would never end but in the extermination of the one race or the other. Pretty strong words. I get at the end of his life, in his unfinished autobiography he reiterated this. He concluded that it was in his words, that was certain the two races equally free, cannot live under the same government. In view of such statements, he stated flatly, that the entire body of jefferson writings, he did not even consider the coexistence of the quality of the two. As another more critical historian put it, nothing is more certain, then the Thomas Jefferson did not attend intend that black people would be free in america. And that free blacks were to be banished. Well, most of what i have talked about so far, deals with his attempts regarding slavery at the state level. Of course jefferson was a National Figure as well, and as such he was involved with the slavery issue at that level as well. Most important, of his national act and as it came during the period of confederation, thats before the current constitution went into effect, that during the time jefferson devised a bill, known as the ordinance of 1784. This piece of legislature, if past wouldve had a potentially great impact, because it would have prohibited the extension of slavery into any of the western territories of the United States after 1800. Again, this would made a serious difference. But the ordinance of 1784, failed to pass by a margin of one vote. But in any case, the proposal was significant for two reasons first, in the long run it raised a principle of which many future attacks on slavery would rest. That is that the spread of slavery could and should be limited by the federal government. Which was the basis of the three sole doctrine of the antebellum years. And secondly, it inspired and act three years later, the northwest ordinance of 1787. Which bent slavery, in the northwest. And were not talking about oregon and washington, so the enactment prevented slavery, from ever being established in the northwest. Thats ohio and indiana and jefferson must be given credit for that its legislation. On the other hand, jefferson folks, would listen there is always an on the other hand with jefferson people. On this case on the other hand, if he is to be credited with limited proliferation of slavery, then maybe he could be blamed for its expansion in other areas. Like where louisiana, because the purchase of louisiana, from france in 1803 did permit the spread of slavery or at least it was not forbidden in that huge area. So how do we do with that criticism . Well the actual sister waist is that slavery already existed in louisiana territory. I suppose its doubtful that its purchase would have been paired out if slavery had not been allowed to continue. I dont think it wouldve been banned in any case, but it came with the package unfortunately. Well the fact is, that after 18 hundreds, jefferson was able to do very little to increase slavery. For a while, he remained reasonably optimistic however, saying to one of his friends in 1814, the hour of emancipation is advancing. And the march of time, it will come. And yet as jeffersons life, progressed. The likelihood appeared to decrease, rather than to increase. And the court of jefferson appeared to become more pessimistic. Now what ive been talking about so far, deals with his public actions. But take some look at his personal interactions with slavery and it is something that he was acquainted with and he recalled that his first memories was that he was, how my point is he knew slavery literally from the crib to the grave. The first one was remembered being carried on the pillow, and there was a slave carpenter who made the coffin in which he was buried in. And in between, throughout his adult life, he was the owner between 100 and 200 slaves, a very substantial slave owner. Now we dont know, we dont know much about his daytoday behavior as a slave owner. The assumption in the past was generally that he has been benevolent enlightened, but more recently that has been questioned by more recent historians, one of whom point out that one seventh of his slaves apparently ran away, which is a fairly high percentage, and jefferson himself records that he sometimes had his slaves whipped on short, it now appears the jefferson was for lack of a better term, an average slave owner, difficult as impossible as that term is, i suppose, to define. As one reason historian put it he was a typical southern slave owner, he despot, he may have been a benign despot, but he was a desperate nonetheless. The fact is that in the historical record, well there is nothing getting us to believe that he was anymore ruthless or any more benevolent than other slaveowners of his time. Now, jeffersons personal involvement slavery always of course brings up the issue of Sally Hemmings, it is alleged slave mitch stress. This is a subject about which an enormous amount has been written and not surprisingly because after all, it has all the ingredients, the facts made public a historical figure a preeminent importance, interracial, sacks white exploitation of blacks the kind of thing that if it had existed couldve kept over winfrey in the tabloids and social media for months. The charge, as im sure you all know is that jefferson was the father of four, maybe even five or six children by his slave. That story is well known, havent been the subject of at least one novel one movie of people special, and a couple of Television Mini series and has been the focal point of several biographies in recent years, now, this is a subject which by itself could take up more time then we a lot it today. Let me just add generally agreed upon facts. First, jeffersons wife martha died in 1872, after which jefferson never remarried for the remaining 44 years of his life. During that, time his slave Sally Hemmings who was in no they have to start his late wife or four children who survived to adulthood although jackson was often absent for the cello, record shows present at the time that those conceptions wouldve occurred many accounts of a hemmings offspring say they were so light skin that they often passed for white. And then another piece of evidence in the view of meeting was at the hemmings token were essentially the only slaves that jefferson ever freed, or allowed to go free. The question is does this all add up to his paternity . Some scholars say up to the 19 sixties and seventies, to them, it is surely not enough. They scoffed at the notion, that if i put it this way that jefferson just was not that sort of man all. They also put heavy emphasis on the fact that this store of the affair with Sally Hemmings was first disseminated in 1802 during jeffersons first term as president by juan james calendar who was an embittered political opponent of jefferson and a notorious scandal monger. Now unquestionably, by all accounts calendar was a disreputable person. In the words of one historian quoting, despicable individual and yet even as this writer points out a vile and vicious person is not always an untruthful one, it would be perhaps unwise to reject the story purely on a kind of the dubious character of its provisional purveyor. Recent scholars have tended to give credence to the story beginning most notably with in 1974 study called Thomas Jefferson, an intimate biography and a 97, book Thomas Jefferson, tally hemmings and controversy. And in lieu of going into further detail myself today, i commend both of these books to you, if you wish to pursue this. A significant step in the controversy if you occurred a few days ago based on dna test, which apparently do not prove that jefferson fathered sallys children. If you give significant support to that possibility. One thing they conclusively do rule out, the fraternity of jeffersons nephews who have usually been regarded as the prime suspect other than jefferson himself as it now stands, it seemed safe to say the story is fairly generally believed, and is interpreted in that fashion by historians of martha cello who essentially conceive its validity to concede. Now, having a look at jeffersons thought on the matter of slavery as well as his public and private acts regarding this turn final into an overall evaluation of the men both as viewed as well as within the context of his own times and is certainly true that assessments of jefferson have been highly divergent over the years, as you would expect, given his complex nature and has long and highly visible public career. In his own, times his admirers on him with such titles as the sage of martha cello, and hailed him as the most learned man in the world. His opponents were not so charitable, including one who referred to him as, quote, that red headed son of a bit. After days of almost uniform veneration by his stories, as i, mention the recent in some cases express was just as much hostility. The explanation for this lies partly through the apparent inevitability of historical revisionism. Its one of jeffersons own biographer as you noted, quote, american political heroes of past and present are in trouble, assaulted openly and from ambush, from the right, from the left, and even from seemingly innocuous professors of history with. And so it is that we have witnessed in recent years serious serious aspersions a political figures from Christopher Columbus to Abraham Lincoln to john f. Kennedy. Nowhere has been more stark than in the case of jefferson so it becomes that the concluding part of our election today to examine some of the chief criticism and to offer if not exactly a rebuttal, at least a measure of explanation. Fundamental to the revisionist rest is the conflict present throughout jeffersons life between word and deed. The contradiction inherent an expression of human equality with unmatched elements of other human beings. That in congruity was noted in his own times by no less figure than doctor Samuel Johnson who once asked, how is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the owners of slaves . Picking up that theme in modern times one prominent historian pointed out the irony of that quote, the laser that made possible jefferson great legs on human liberty, supported by the laborers of three generations of slaves. And this could go on. The basic point being, far from being an icon of democracy, jefferson was in fact a racist hypocrite. Now, within that overall critique by several charges, either explicit or implicit. The first is, jefferson, in reality accomplished very little with regard to a eradicating slavery and in some ways his efforts active assaulted it spread. Several point seem to be made, and the first, i think the most fundamental one is that any effort the jefferson may have undertaken to end slavery plays an enormous and increasing economic obstacle. And here is why earlier. Earlier in jeffersons career and up through the writing of the constitution, slavery was widely believed to be a institution. In, fact it was this belief in the eventual economic device of slavery that allowed for the creation of the constitution. They almost universally believed it was going to die out. Unfortunately, just the opposite happened. Instead of dying out, slavery took on new life in the 17 nineties, and specifically after 1793 when you lie whitney invented the cotton gin. And what this meant, to make a long story very short, is that cotton could then become profitably grow not just along the south atlantic seaboard but throughout the south, all the way to texas, and the resulting spread of cotton was dramatic and the need for extensive imagine manual labor tremendous hamilton yes spread of slavery, and to the institution that seem destined for demise was now increasingly entrenched with the production of cotton and the ownership of slaves constituting a very pinnacle of southern society. Sure certification of status and prestige that was not all vastly increased number of slaves, almost 4 million by the time of the civil war, raised in the minds of many whites the problems of social control that had failure to arise with emancipation. Jefferson wrote on one occasion regarding the possibility i think this is one of his most telling observations, signing up as he did the essence of jeffersons concerns when he wrote, quote, talking about whether or not to abolish slavery he said, we have the wolf by the years. We can either safely hold him or safely let him go. Justice, one emancipation, is in the one scale, self preservation in the other resolution. Listen, solution as we have seen, is colonization, but all of this is just to illustrate any impulses he may have had with emancipation ran headlong into the hard economic realities of the time, which of course created a Formidable Political problem. We think of jefferson as a statesman, but she was. Before you become a statesman he had to be a politician which he was. A practical politician, one concerned with what the republic mind would bear the. And this is the way one historian describes jeffersons lack of assertiveness on this issue. He said, vital as the abolition of slavery was to him, he when he had proposed plans for freeing the slaves had demonstrated him that the press too hard on this issue was to risk a premature end to his political career and preclude him from accomplishing any constructive purpose whatever. In other words, he was unwilling to sacrifice his whole career on abolition or, as John Quincy Adams put it most simply and most happily, mr. Jefferson did not have the spirit of martyrdom. Interestingly, jefferson himself address this matter of his apparent reticence on the issue, sensing that subsequent critics will lay charges of hypocrisy and, the reason for his restraint was and he explained in so many words was, to paris, tried to paraphrase, the time was not right rating on one occasion that, listen to this, the moment of doing it with success has not yet arrived and the unsuccessful effort as too often happens would only rivets no closer the chains much later. Much later his life, in fact, only two weeks before his death he returned to that subject, explain his position this way. A good school often causes often injured more by ill times efforts of its friends them by the armament of his enemies. Persuasion, perseverance and patients are the best advocates in questions depending on the will of others. The revolution of Public Opinion which this cause inquires is not to be expected in a day or perhaps in an age, or time which outlived all things sort. A lot concerning another modern criticism of jefferson, some say it might have been too much for him to have engineered the abolition of slavery, but he has given his about coming to individual liberty, why he was freed his own slaves . Two explanations are offered. One is that he kept them because he thought they would be better off as his slaves then if they were freed and had to fend for themselves. Ive always thought this would be a bit flimsy, flimsy reason because i expect given a choice the great majority of devoted slaves wouldve opted for freedom. On the other hand, theres a plausibility in it. In the theory. Because the plight of most freed blacks in the antebellum south, was difficult an extreme. There is a more fundamental reason, or likely reason for his position, that is that the economic said he couldnt afford to free them because they were essential to his livelihood. We tend to think of jefferson as a wealthy man, as by his grandeur of mount cello, but to put it bluntly he lived beyond his means. Such as effect that he nearly lost monte cello. In such financial straits, he could hardly divest himself of such a major collection of his assets. In this way hes different than george washington, who is a better businessman and did provide for feeding freedom of his slaves after his death. Jeffersons action does not modify his critics. To judge from his lifelong behavior, jeffersons grand style was more important to him the natural rights of the slaves. Now the last point of criticism, mainly that jefferson was a racist. There can be no real exculpate of this. Nothing can disguise the fact, that by modernday standards he was. He was a racist. As is made abundantly clear, but not all of which i quoted to you. I told my students over the years, that it would be good to read the notes of virginia, to see jeffersons views in some detail. But do not do it, if you have a weak stomach. Or a, week constitution. Or if you are a jefferson idled just. But the notes, its pretty graphic. But not appealing to us today to read those words. But in any case, thats what he wrote. And, that is where we left with his views on race. And what we can do though and should do is consider two things. The first that there simply is such racial views, should be considered within the context of his own times. This is a period ladies and gentlemen, were virtually no one thought differently and indeed in jeffersons own times, the odd concept was not that he owned slaves which is widespread and had been in existence for a long time. The strange concept was human equality. That struck people as an odd idea. Belief and black inferiority was his universal belief and not in jeffersons own time but even into the 20th century, so perhaps it is unfortunate because it is it is unreasonable to expect that he would have believed something drastically different from that. But the larger point says involves another person in question and that is to use did he put those views. And he might well have proceeded from those views to have a strong argument in favor of slavery, as some of his contemporaries and southern leaders did based on the consideration of black inferiority. Once advocated calhoun once advocated slavery this way. Some are born with status on their backs, and others booted and spurred to ride them. And the writing does them good. But jefferson never took this, as far as i know he never once suggested that the inferiority of blacks which he presumed was a legitimate justification for their enslavement. But its Crystal Clear in a letter that he wrote, in 1809 he said speaking of blacks, he wrote that quote, whatever their talent it is no measure of their rights. Just because sir isaac newsom and newtons was in was superior, that basically even the blacks were inferior that did not constitute grounds for enslavement. Finally what can we say by way of a summary about jefferson today. In light of the historic graphical appraisal, my attempt to view jefferson how use viewed in his own times, and viewed by people who actually knew him. And that effort produces contradiction. One historian put it this way, he said and listen closely. In the 19th century, abolitionists used jeffersons words, that swords. Slave holders, used his example as a shield. Thats pretty good isnt it. On the whole however, it seems that in the minds of most of his contemporaries, jefferson was regarded and i think rightly so, as a man of many ideals, although he could not find a solution to the problem of slavery, who could who did, he still never advocated that institution. To appreciate the significance jefferson must be placed in contrast to many of his contemporaries and almost all of his successors in positions of power. Like calhoun for example. As long as jeffersons ideals flourish, there was always a skepticism to slavery. And hope that a solution to it might be found. In short the existence of jeffersonian ideals, that so obviously were in. But, it was not long before the liberalism began to fade, and soon to be replaced by an oppressive conservatism and conformity that characterize the antebellum years after jeffersons death. All of this had an effect on jefferson. Jefferson wrote in 1826, on the subject of emancipation, i have ceased to think because it is not to be a work of my day. And he was right, and within a year he was dead. And was him, the brightest light of liberalism in the old south was extinguished. To understand finally whats jefferson meant in his own times, we should look not to historians, but to his contemporaries. And i will quote three of his contemporaries. The first was a white abolitionist congressman who asked, who taught me to hate slavery . And as every other form of oppression, it was jefferson. The great jefferson. The second contemporary, also a congressman said similarly, if i were to write a history of american slavery, i would say that mr. Jefferson was entitled to credit the first antislavery sentiments of this country. And he was the force of the anti slavery movement. Lastly the third contemporary, was quite different hes not a congressman, and hes not white. And his feelings were expressed not for public consumption, but on a personal level or lecture to jefferson himself. He records this and the letter was written, with a painful care of a hand on customs to the pen. That hand belong to a black man, a former slave. He wrote personally, to jefferson. To tell jefferson about an important and namely his wife, now quoting from the letter just presented me with a pair of twin voice. A pair of black twin boys. And sir as a testimony of my gratitude, for those principles of justice and humanity, i use so as you so boldly advocated, and enhanced and out of respect to which i hold you, to grant freedom in equal rights. The benefactor of mankind, and the people of color in particular, i have named one of my twins thomas. The other jefferson. Thank you. Up next on American History tv, university of Mary Washington Professor William crawley discusses it a roosevelt with attention on his life and legacy. The university of Mary Washington hosted this event
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