What did Thomas Jefferson feel about slavery?

Question

the answer to this would be great, or even a place where i could find this info... im a little stuck in the essay i'm writing right now

Answer 1

Jefferson was a slave owner. It's been shown that he fathered a child with one of his slaves.

http://www.poplarforest.org/History/tjslavery.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/israel/familyjefferson.html

Answer 2

Thomas Jefferson while a slave owner, was philosophically opposed to the institution--not enough to find the political will to do anything decisively about it, but the statement of one answerer that he was a "consummate politician," thus implying that he was incapable of harbouring human feelings or opinions outside his own constituency, is non-responsive and cliched, and thus generally worthless.

The fact is, on a certain level, Jefferson did speak out against slavery--he included critical language in the Declaration of Independence, which unfortunately was edited out by his fellow committeemen to avoid alienating Southern Congressmen. He also attempted, in the 1780s, to curtail the spread of slavery in all new territories acquired by the new country, but failed--though it should be remembered that slavery was prohibited in the Northwest Territory. By all accounts, he never mistreated his own slaves--notwithstanding the natural cruelty of the institution itself.

It's true he did not have a high opinion of black people in general; he was no egalitarian, and in the 1810s joined the American Colonization Society in order to ship freed slaves to Africa and out of sight of American citizenry. But any reasonable interpretation of the sources will reveal that Jefferson did abhor slavery.

Answer 3

I don't remember where I got the information but he set up a plan to buy slaves their freedom but at the same time he owned slaves. Hows that for sending a mixed message? Try doing a Yahoo search on him or go to the library and get a book

Answer 4

Strange question.

The correct and irrefutable answer is that Jefferson was a consummate POLITICIAN.

That meant he felt strongly for and against slavery depending who was asking the questions and under what circumstances. He was not dishonest but he was consistent.

Answer 5

Well, when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, he wrote that the King of England was responsible for the slave trade. it was struck out because the other members of Congress knew that was b.s.
He was conflicted. He thought every man should be free, but he owned a lot of slaves. He said he would have a provision in his will that he would free them upon his death, but he didn't include it.

Answer 6

He did not like the Church of england's view that it replaced into immoral and he replaced into hostile to the abolitionist stream that presented about the British Empire outlawing slavery lengthy earlier every person else and imposing anti trafficking on the severe seas. each and each and every of the unique progressive insurgents that led to u . s . a . of america to split from from the Empire used slaves to construct the recent u . s . for them even as hiding at the back of their 'white' structure, Britain's Magna Carta does not have allowed this.

Answer 7

He was for it, and wrote a lot of really racist letters that basically said that same thing. So his whole affair with a slave was a major contradiction.

Answer 8

Although he owned slaves that he had inherited, he was against the institution and wrote many things denouncing it.

Answer 9

He felt is was a good source of girlfriends

Answer 10

I believe he didnt like it and he opposed it. but yet he had sex with a mixed woman and produced black and white kids.