Thomas Jefferson's Opinion On Slavery

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Thomas Jefferson was known for many things. He was the principal author of the Constitution. He was the second Vise President of the United States. He was also the third President of the United States. With all these achievements, it is easy to say Thomas Jefferson was a hero, but some people question his morals based on his opinion of slavery. Although it is true that he never came out and said “I disagree with slavery” or “I agree with slavery,” we can look at different accounts to show that his actions proved his opinion on slavery.

In an extract from Memoirs of a Monticello Slave (source #10), they write, “Mr. Jefferson always singing when riding or walking: hardly see him anywhere out doors but what he was a-singing: Had a fine clear …show more content…
Lastly, in an extract from Thomas Jefferson’s Sixth Annual Message to Congress (source #15), he says, “I congratulate you, fellow citizens, on the approach of the period at which you may interpose your authority constitutionally, to withdraw the citizens of the United states from all further participation in those violations of human rights, which have been so long continued on the unoffending inhabitants of Africa, & which the morality, the reputation, & the best interests of our country have long been eager to proscribe.” This document is basically Jefferson congratulating the people who abolished slavery. This clearly shows he is against slavery and hope that it won’t continue much longer.

With all of this in mind, it is easy to say that Thomas Jefferson disagreed with slavery. Even though he never said those words, his obvious respect towards the slaves showed that he valued them as people, not objects. Although some people argue that this former President supported slavery, we can easily prove that that was not the

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a letter to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, in 1791. The letter discussed slavery in the United States. Banneker chose to write to Jefferson because Jefferson had political power, and he wrote the Declaration of Independence, a document which proclaims that all men are created equal. In writing to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Banneker called Jefferson out on his hypocrisy concerning slavery, and he also informed Jefferson that he could do something about slavery. Banneker achieved his purpose…

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astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, and author.) The combination of those two qualities give him a strong opinion on slavery. He conveys his opinion of slavery in a letter he wrote to Thomas Jefferson, the framer of the Declaration of Independence and the secretary of state under George Washington. In Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson, he pitches a series of arguments against the institution of slavery through his use of pathos, his allusion to the Declaration of Independence, and his respectful tone…

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