Jefferson firmly believed in a disestablished society, where people were allowed to follow their own religion and live in equality. This forward thinking was demonstrated in the Declaration of Independence where Jefferson states that “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Jefferson Grolier, 2009). In spite of this belief, he owned slaves. Jefferson’s position as a slave owner greatly contradicted his belief in freedom and equality for all human beings. His hypocrisy is further demonstrated through his relationship with his slave Sally Hemings and with his decisions to free some slaves and keep others. Jefferson had a twenty-five year old relationship with Hemings and had many children together. Bruce Fehn from the OAH Magazine of History states “Jefferson probably had an intimate relationship with one of his slaves, while, at the same time, he expressed disgust with such relationships” (Fehn, 2000). He did treat Hemings and other slaves with care, but Hemings had no freedom of choice when it came to their relationship because she could not refuse her owner. Although Jefferson did show compassion towards his slaves, they were still considered as slaves, who worked “toward the profitable management of his plantation” (Fehn, 2000). His decisions to free some slaves and keep others were based on economics, which doesn’t justify his actions because he still treated the slaves as labour and not as human beings.
Thomas Jefferson is considered to be one of the greatest presidents of Unites States and has significantly contributed to the success of today’s American society. He was an intellectual man and sought beauty in all race and religion. However, his thoughts on equality, and actions as a slave owner clashed and proved to be a conflicting paradox. Although, he treated his slaves with genuine care, in the end he was still a slave owner and had the control over other human beings rights and freedom. His relationship with Sally Hemings also took away his credibility as a man who believes in freedom. Jefferson created a foundation for freedom and entrusted his vision towards others for a better future, but unfortunately failed to recognize his own misdeeds and hypocrisy.
Organization of American Historians. Oct, 2, 2009.
http://atb.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?templatename=topics.html&a
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I agree with you that Jefferson wants the people to have equality, but I was confuse because he was the only person who sign the Article of Confederation that did not free some of his slaves and he thinks that women are not fully develop. However, I found out that when he became close to Sally Hemings and had relationship with her, he became nice not only to woman but also to his slaves. I like when you include the pursuit of happiness as one of his goal in society because Jefferson believes that a good democracy is when people have a free time to pursue their happiness.
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