Why Thomas Jefferson Never Freed His Slaves

[@realryanchapman]

Thank you to everyone who supports these projects on Patreon. I wouldn't be able to devote so much time and so many resources to one video otherwise. I'm trying to make the best work I can and the donations really do make it possible. If you'd like to chip in and support me, check out www.patreon.com/rchapman. Video notes below: I've been trying to figure out how much evidence to provide on screen for what I say in the video. In the past year or so I've shifted towards showing evidence pretty continuously throughout the entire video. But then it seems like if there are only a few claims left with no evidence shown, and people single out those claims and believe I made them up. Showing evidence for literally every claim, I think, would be exhausting to watch, so I'm not sure how to solve that. For this one, I saw a number of people single out the section where I said according to my research, slavery persisted in the South because white Southerners didn't want to work outdoors in hot climates, and say it's absurd and I made it up. To explain why I constructed that section the way I did, I thought 1) it's not a key point for the piece, and 2) it's common sense. So I thought I'd give the audience a break on reading text for that section. I also showed some supporting text from Gordon Wood on how the philosophy of labor was shifting in both the North and South at the time. I figured that was enough, and if people were intrigued or skeptical on that point they could research it on their own. To address it here I'd start by asking: how else would you explain why the further south you went, the more adamant people became about keeping slavery? Why were those same people so work avoidant compared to people in the North? Why was the Deep South so firm on slavery, while the North gave it up within a generation? I'm curious if people have alternative explanations, because while researching for this piece I literally did not come across one. Every source that covered it said the same thing: climate. That was also the prevailing take when this was all happening. Perhaps some quotes from primary sources will do. In 1804, when senators were debating whether to restrict the importation of slaves into Louisiana, GA rep Jackson said: 'Gentlemen from north & the east do not know that white men cannot endure the heat of a vertical sun - they cannot cultivate and raise a crop of rice - negroes are necessary for that country.' and 'a white man cannot cultivate three acres of rice, and yet Georgia is not so warm as Louisiana. You cannot prevent slavery - neither laws moral or human can do it - men will be governed by their interest, not the law...' Jefferson himself in Notes on the State of Virginia: 'in a warm climate, no man will labour for himself who can make another labour for him,' after saying blacks are 'more tolerant of heat, and less so of cold, than the whites.' Some people also seem offended by my use of 'alleged' when talking about Jefferson and Sally Hemings, apparently because they thought it should be treated as fact. From what I can tell the evidence does strongly support the claim that Jefferson fathered children with her. The DNA test only says it was a Jefferson male (of which there were about ten at Monticello) who fathered one of her kids, but Jefferson was with Sally every time she probably conceived, which is considered strong evidence. Generally speaking, there was significant pushback/skepticism from the academic community in the '90s when Annette Gordon-Reed published 'Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings,' which was the work that got this conversation seriously going. The pushback was mostly based on the fact that Jefferson hardly ever mentioned her in his writing (I think 4 times in about 18,000 letters), that it seemed out of character for him to keep his children as slaves, that people around Jefferson hardly mentioned her, and that we know so little about Sally. Then the DNA test came out, and Gordon-Reed published 'The Hemings Of Monticello,' which basically said Jefferson's behavior step-by-step indicates he had a relationship with Hemings, and his silence on her is consistent with behavior of other white male Virginian slaveowners, and that people around him would also understand to keep quiet about her. Now most professional opinion (that I've read) does conclude that he fathered children with Sally, but I still thought it would be wrong to treat it as fact, knowing it's a controversial subject, and knowing I wasn't going to take the time in the video to go through all this. So I just said 'alleged' and left it to the comments in case people disagreed or were offended. Hope that cleared things up. I've seen a couple people flag Ben Franklin's anti-slavery activity to refute what I said about none of the Founders 'risking their careers' to end slavery. Franklin's activity was at the very end of his life, which meant 1) he wasn't risking his career over it, and 2) his activity was after the crucial time window I was talking about in that section, when slavery was being widely debated and the defense of it hadn't solidified. I also didn't claim that the Founders literally said nothing about the abolition of slavery. Only that in the years that crucially mattered they didn't press the issue. They overwhelmingly focused their efforts on other issues, like the formation of the union/constitution, diplomacy, and freedom of religion. From my research, in those years Jefferson was actually the most outspoken against slavery of them all (he attempted three major instances of it afaik), but he cared far more about other issues (like freedom of religion), and his 'anti-slavery' stance also came with his highly impractical deportation clause. Last note - many comments say it was Jefferson's debt that prevented him from freeing his slaves. I have never seen a professional make this claim. The reason why is because Jefferson said what he would do with his slaves if he ever got out of debt. He said he would improve the living conditions of his slaves. Not free them. Also he lived an extravagant lifestyle, for example constantly hosting guests and serving fine wine from around the world, and taking on huge expenses trying to turn Monticello into basically his dream home. He didn't live as someone trying to get out of debt in order to free his slaves. In short, the claim doesn't make sense if you study him. - Ryan

[@kaerakh4267]

As always, your work is appreciated Ryan, thank you.

[@Rat_8868]

May you do a video on anarchism?

[@gg_rider]

Some Black people today are red pilled that White society overall is superior (AK NATION NEWS) .. never to claim EVERY White is superior to EVERY Black. One book I'm reading that's from the 1980s says African Black people have no doubts that they could never have created the technology or social order that Whites create. They also aren't ashamed or offended by the topic. Only Africans _educated_ in White universities learned to manipulate White guilt, he explains. I have not had direct experience with Africans. I did read a story about a group of students at University of Nigeria who lynched (not hanging) a student, killing him, over accusations he stole a laptop. That was about two months ago. Look it up. That's Scientific Maximum Shishi. At least one South African Black woman published a video of herself asking White people to come back and run their country, because their electricity and everything else is collapsing.

[@paneraemployee12]

I love history and I love your content so please keep it up.

[@docjaramillo]

I hope you make 10x what a college professor teaching American history makes… not that I wish those ol guys ill. But you are a genuine Prof. Thanks for your erudition, sensitivity to the issue, and concise presentation of very complex issues

[@williewonka6694]

John Adams was also a product of his times. John and Abigail were given a slave as a wedding present, which they refused to accept. Both of them, and particularly Abigail, worked their small farm throughout their lives and their wealth and properties steadily grew, while Jefferson spent his life squandering inherited wealth and living on the backs of his slaves. Despite his narratives for freedom and liberty. Observing the lives of these two founders definitely provides insights into human nature. Pity that the Adamses are not better remembered.

[@byronhunt6124]

I was thinking exactly the same thoughts while watching this video

[@carlabroderick5508]

Jefferson’s insolvency is usually related to his indulgence in politics to the expense of his farm’s management. What is the evidence he squandered money?

[@warlordofbritannia]

Not even mentioning Sally Hemings was also an interesting choice. A good historian would address the flaws in his thesis-this is the first video from this channel I’ve seen but *something* tells me he’s just a partisan hack pretending to intellectualism… Edit: Yes, I know he mentions Hemings in passing at one point. If anything that makes it worse because he clearly knows about the whole situation but ignored it in this video specifically Jefferson the slaveholder!

[@VideoDefinition]

​@@warlordofbritanniaI think you may be the partisan hack who was hoping to find something to confirm you bias

[@benavraham4397]

Thank you for your enlightening comment. However, giving up one slave is very different from giving up over a hundred.

[@Ephisus]

A subject sorely needing the nuance that Ryan Chapman can provide.

[@drandrewm]

The real question is, who gets to be nuanced and for what purpose? We have decided that Hitler or Idi Amin, for example, should never be nuanced, but that the founding fathers be seen as "great but flawed" men. Why? I enjoyed the video and believed that this information should be widely taught albeit I did not agree with everything said. For the average Black American, however, I suspect that this video was just a bit too "nuanced."

[@QuixEnd]

​@@drandrewm It's impossible to disregard all nuance, we just choose when to and when not to focus on it, and for good reason. It feels wrong if I pointed out that MLK cheated on his wife, or that Nazi Germany _did_ have amazing scientists. But other nuances feel totally legitimate to point out. I think that's the harder question to think about. *Both sides are also just reacting to the others reaction at this point, so it always seems unnecessarily intense. We live in a clown world

[@BS-vx8dg]

@@drandrewm "We have decided that Hitler or Idi Amin, for example, should never be nuanced" Andrew, have you seen Ryan's video on Nazism? IIRC, it is more thoughtful than the typical treatment of Hitler and the Nazis.

[@drandrewm]

@@QuixEnd Take the idea that Jefferson was relatively more benevolent than the usual slave holder...that's beyond "nuance" to the point of being propaganda, and it was unnecessary. But, there are people who "needed" to hear Ryan say this for reasons I still don't understand.

[@drandrewm]

@@BS-vx8dg I haven't, but my point was aimed at American sentiments overall. Thomas Jefferson was a great American thinker, but he was also, extremely wealthy (via inheritance), which made him entitled, at times cruel, opportunistic, and hypocritical. His ideas about black inferiority were a personal convenience, but the effects were severe and long lasting. IMO I was actually fine with the post overall, but it seemed like Ryan was more than happy to recount select propaganda. (eg) TJ broke up families like all slave holders, especially when he needed money. Ryan suggested that TJ hired cruel overseers because the nice ones were in short supply (really?). I had a long conversation with a historian at Monticello about 10 years ago. He indicated that many visitors are often insistent (some to the point of being belligerent) that he tell them that Jefferson was "good." It seems like Ryan understands this dynamic and played to it a little. To be clear, I like and follow Ryan and will continue to watch his channel, and more importantly, will continue to appreciate the conversations his videos generate.

[@ericpeterson8732]

The more I hear about Jefferson, the more I think the Epic Rap Battle (ERB) guys got him pegged correctly. A man of principles that didn't risk his economic standing to live up to those principles. Having Frederick Douglass point these things out was brilliant.

[@jillfryer6699]

his first principle was his economic standing

[@tghays]

He lacked the courage of his convictions.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

To be fair, even great men of high principles can stumble when it comes to the well-being of their kids. He loved his kids, and as much as he hated slavery, he wasn't willing to risk his kid's wellbeing.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@huntclanhunt9697 *his white kids. The children he sired on Sally Hemings he kept enslaved until his death.

[@lastcuneyt3334]

He enslaved hundreds of other peoples kids tho 🤣@@huntclanhunt9697

[@lisaflint7027]

Although I was an avid American history enthusiast growing up, I had only a rudimentary understanding of Jefferson, that is until my father gave me the book 'American Sphinx' by J. Ellis. When I finished it my father asked my opinion, all I could say was that Jefferson was a very complicated and conflicted man, he smiled and said "Yes, he was". Also, I just finished 'Washington, A Life' by Chernow, (a most excellent book btw) and found that Washington was of the same thread as Jefferson, they were both men of their times. Excellent video! Your videos should be required viewing in classrooms. Thank you!

[@xIQ188x]

Lol your father didn’t do that, no one’s father sucks that hard.

[@warlordofbritannia]

The difference is that Washington freed his slaves while Jefferson kept his and probably had a gRapey relationship with one of them in particular. If Tommy J had followed Washington’s example there would be far less moral condemnation.

[@velindamitchell583]

Thomas Jefferson enjoyed living a grand lifestyle, which was far and away above his means. He left his surviving family with great debts. His slaves were sold off to pay thise debts. His extensive library of books were also sold to pay his debts. Actually everything was sold off and it was still not enough to cover his debts. His surviving grandson who "inherited" Jefferson's estate, paid on the debt the rest of his life.

[@Tht1Gy]

Thx for the book titles. I will endeavor to read them. Peace.

[@GunRunner3]

I am unable to comment on this video - THE CENSORS HAVE CHANGED MY IDENTIFICATION TO HITLER WITHOUT MY PERMISSION - BEAWARE

[@donaldbutcher1260]

I appreciate your arguments for why we need to see Jefferson in the context of his times, still I am amazed by the fact that a man so enlightened could not come to the simple conclusion that he must free those he keeps in bondage and encourage others to do the same.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Cognitive dissonance is one helluva drug.

[@pickybusiness8549]

Humans are complicated creatures, sometimes we cannot see the truth right in front of our own eyes. I dont think he was a bad man, in fact I would say he was a good man, but he was a man of his time, and that comes with many problems.

[@Doutsoldome]

The necessity of freeing everyone as quickly and as fully as possible is and was, _logically,_ a *simple* conclusion. But this wasn't an *easy* conclusion to get at in those days, considering that no other known society, in the entire history of the world until that point, had ever reached it. A completely new idea may require some serious mental rearrangements, and I think that's clearly such a case. Sometimes, being able to see a simple truth can be very difficult - and especially so for seeing it for the first time ever.

[@tesmith47]

The profit was great, and he knew there ain't no god to exact punishment.

[@briggy4359]

Where were your clothes made?

[@T30-z5w]

Seems to me Jefferson was a brilliant idealist, a hyper pragmatic man with deeply held rational beliefs, and a man who was prone to compromise his own rational thought when his self interests where on the line. Not much different than many people today.

[@MWhaleK]

Agreed, Jefferson's ideals at least should be celebrated and he should be remembered for them as well as for the bad stuff. We can't let the slave owning and treatment of slaves like Sally Hemmings to overshadow the good parts, at least not completely.

[@kisha1682]

What good parts. He’d die all over again seeing the freedom blacks have today!

[@JohnSmith-hs1hn]

E.g a hypocrite lol. Idealist and pragmatist, are mutually exclusive.

[@alphacat9302]

I highly recommend reading the entire screenshots throughout this video. Some of the unread passages are important, such as Jefferson's repeated assertions any differences he did note were quite possibly a result of their terrible education, unfortunate position, etc. Given the time period, this seems quite an honest position to take - noting the differences but providing a rather progressive explanation for those differences.

[@4spooky8u]

Exactly, the context as to why Jefferson felt this way is often (as in this video) overlooked. What else was he supposed to think of a uneducated slaves who couldn't read or write. Critics of Jefferson and the Founders also severely downplay their fears of a race war, Americans in the early 19th century were all well aware of what had occurred in Saint Domingue and did not want that repeating here as well.

[@SuperStella1111]

It wasn't progressive, he was conservative. There were (largely working class) movements to end slavery all over the world. Ending the slave trade was a question that could get MILLIONS of people in places like England to sign petitions (which also happened). The reason we think it's "progressive" is because rich men's writing dominates our understanding of the time period. Poors always knew slavery was wrong. Good people always knew it was wrong.

[@LastBrigadier]

@@4spooky8u лмао сеемс лике тхеы фаилед.

[@alphacat9302]

@@SuperStella1111 yes, I see you can read the mind of all past '"poors".. they all looked at the slaves and wished they had that job, if only.

[@DaenerysStormborn-cw5ws]

Jefferson was a filthy rapist who, in an act of unfathomable cruelty, blackmailed Sally Hemmings into staying his slave by holding her (THEIR) children HOSTAGE. Hero worship is for FOOLS. Take the good with the bad but DON'T make excuses when your hero is a louse. CRUELTY is NEVER anything but CRUELTY, now, then or EVER.

[@scottsaige]

Well done. This is how the subject should be taught in high school history. It highlights the push and pull between ideals and reality and the difficult decisions our founding fathers had to make while presenting an honest picture of the contradictions and flaws they (like every other human being) possessed and the context of the time. Though none of it was new to me, it was a well presented. I'm curious, how do you choose your subjects?

[@abhijitkurse53]

Well said- nuance is the key word, but far too many lack the patience to incorporate into dialogue, much less school curricula, where it is much needed.

[@Ephisus]

Of course, the people who want to change the world struggle with the change.

[@shirleybanks277]

...Jefferson is a prime example of intellect conflicting with Wealth /Greed and Power.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Jefferson, like most of us, was faced by a moral dilemma. On the one hand, he could see the injustice inherent in the institution of slavery, yet he benefitted economically from it.

[@warlordofbritannia]

That’s called being a coward. Jefferson could have done the right thing, but he *chose* not to. With such a clear decision, all this talk about his apparent internal conflict is laughably shallow.

[@VideoDefinition]

​@@warlordofbritanniaOr he felt he could take care of his slaves better than if they were free in America.

[@davidlafleche1142]

Jefferson found an easy way to get a date.

[@darksu6947]

​@@chopvansuey Plants are just as alive as animals. Have you never heard the lettuce scream while chewing up your salad?

[@lif3andthings763]

@@VideoDefinition Well no he did separate families, he did rape a teenage girl, and he did have his slaves whipped.

[@limerickman8512]

Incorrect, slavery was waning in the south, until the cotton gin was invented, thus gave renewed life to slavery, to pick cotton in the sun. It was true that the cotton gin reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for enslaved labor to grow and pick the cotton. While more industrialisation through mechanical machines reduce slavery In fact, the opposite occurred in demanded labour when it came to cotton. Cotton growing became so profitable for enslavers that it greatly increased their demand for both land and enslaved labor.

[@manisthemeasure2205]

Our problem with the likes of these men that seemingly knew what was right but still went with the “flow” of their time is whether we should celebrate them today or simply regard them as products of their time, without judging them with the ideas of today. I cannot blame Jefferson for being born in a time of ignominious darkness but I am ambivalent about considering him great or venerable, even.

[@tesmith47]

some DID free their slaves

[@timothypaulino8454]

For history nerds, we don't see it as celebrate or condemned. We see a flawed man who has done great things all the while enslaving people. An act that even him growing up in the South knew was wrong. celebrating him isn't an endorsement or free pass on everything he did. Just recognition of certain aspects and achievements that are relevant to us today

[@mrD66M]

This poses the question back to us. Do we go with the flow of society when it suits us, and only talk about ideals when it does not? Knowing "the right thing to do" is immaterial and pointless. There is only *doing* the right thing (not once or twice, but consistently) - or not.

[@austinmorris3422]

It's sad that your videos get so little views, comparatively speaking. Your content is of the highest quality. I hope this channel gets the exposure it deserves!

[@marenomorgan]

Such a great video. Our flattened understanding of history is not only toxic in 2023, but I'm also always surprised that people tend to flatten it in the first place when the truth is always so much more interesting and helpful than the dogma.

[@kate2create738]

Too many are guilty of distorting history to believe it is an excuse for what they advocate for. The tragedy in all of this is that part of the Enlightenment Age was coming into understanding the qualities of being a person. The Founding Fathers mainly understood to be human you inherit flaws, yet there was an idealism about giving people the liberty to learn of their mistakes to help improve their lives to become morally sound. Self responsibility was a driving force for this new age; however, we are in a time where too many are quick to give in to avoid sustainably be an individual. And there is little push back for those who have the authority to correct this as if anything it give excuse to take more power from the people.

[@warlordofbritannia]

The history profession is more sophisticated than ever. Only partisan hacks with an axe to grind are flattening our collective understanding-looking at you, DeSantis.

[@D.S.handle]

19:46 here you are a bit wrong. By the end of his life Benjamin Franklin has begun to openly campaign for the abolition. From the National Archives website: > Franklin did not publicly speak out against slavery until very late in his life. As a young man he owned slaves, and he carried advertisements for the sale of slaves in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. At the same time, however, he published numerous Quaker pamphlets against slavery and condemned the practice of slavery in his private correspondence. It was after the ratification of the United States Constitution that he became an outspoken opponent of slavery. In 1789 he wrote and published several essays supporting the abolition of slavery and his last public act was to send to Congress a petition on behalf of the Society asking for the abolition of slavery and an end to the slave trade. The petition, signed on February 3, 1790, asked the first Congress, then meeting in New York City, to "devise means for removing the Inconsistency from the Character of the American People," and to "promote mercy and justice toward this distressed Race."

[@Matt-kt9nm]

When did he mention Franklin?

[@D.S.handle]

@@Matt-kt9nm the timeframe is a bit wrong, but at 19:40 you can hear him saying “ultimately none of the founders risked their careers to end it [slavery]”. Edit: corrected the quote

[@realryanchapman]

Hi, I'm aware of Franklin's anti-slavery activity. In the video I said 'none of them risked their careers to end it,' quoting from a Jefferson bio. The crucial period that I was talking about was in the 1770's and early-mid 1780's, when the abolition of slavery was being seriously debated and the South hadn't hardened in their defense of it. Franklin missed that window. Also speaking out at the very end of his life isn't risking his career.

[@D.S.handle]

@@realryanchapman that is fair.

[@drandrewm]

@@realryanchapman It's good to see you deep in these replies. You are to be commended. You have generated great discussion and dialog on this topic. I really appreciate what you've been doing.

[@ethanthibodeaux9599]

So refreshing to hear an account of Jefferson that gives a fair assessment of his flaws and his accomplishments.

[@sampson1952]

Another excellent piece of work. I appreciate your skills in research and perspective.

[@leslovesliberty1776]

Wow, I learn more from you in 30-minute videos than I did from 16 years in the education system... thank you!! 🙏

[@carolinem1698]

Realistically, very few of us retained much of what we were taught in school as children. As adults we are more interested in learning about what we are curious. my point is we are too quick to blame schools, especially public schools.

[@austinmaurer1776]

I just got my bachelors in history a few months ago but have been in a funk of disinterest. Finding and watching your videos has got me excited again. Thank you, you're you're doing important work.

[@Sound557]

Whenever I watch your videos I like to think if there are extra points to include. You always beat me to it, like mentioning the cotton gin. Keep up the good work.

[@orionwhite8429]

Love this content, I completed Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, and it went over some of how Benjamin's view on race and slavery adapted over the years and he was also coming up at the same time as enlightenment. It is sad to learn that things that seemed to be progressing in the 1700s halted or went backward during the 1800s. Jefferson had a great influence on USA and his conflicting views show how others likely disagreed on slavery and race at the time. I am interested in a Jefferson biography on audible someone had mentioned American Sphinx which is on there.

[@artawhirler]

Excellent video on a complicated topic! Thanks! I especially like that you actually show the pages of text from which you are quoting, with the relevant sentences highlighted in yellow; and that down in the corner you show the book from which they are taken. After seeing this done just once, it is amazing to me that every history-related KZbinr doesn't do it. Again, thank you for an excellent video!

[@benjaminirarrazaval9944]

Infinite thanks for your work!!!! all and every single of your videos are amazing. I am an engineer who never liked history but only inclined to learn about math and sciences... Lately I have picked interest in politics, and therefore history. your videos started to appear on my feed and what a surprise I can stop watching them, they are incredible, your work is fantastic, I wished you would have been my history teacher...

[@MWhaleK]

As I understand? It was because his first memory was of being served by slaves, he was born into a family that owned slaves and raised in a slave owning society as well as being bad with money. So it's more surprising that he spoke out about slavery than that he didn't free his slaves. Not that it make him being a slave owner much better (especially in the context of the whole Sally Hemmings thing), but it does make it more understandable.

[@RebeccaOre]

He promised to free her children. I believe a majority of free blacks were children of their masters.

[@BearRiverBooks]

Extraordinary effort. Should be an assignment in high school and college American history classes. The essence of good historical analysis is the ability to cut oneself free of one's own time and see the world as our forbears saw it. This requires deep knowledge of the past and a kind of intellectual fluidity that is rare. This lecture demonstrates both qualities in abundance.

[@TheMikemedia]

As a 70 year old Black man, deep hot rage against the hypocritical injustice of this country is as much a part of me as my color. As a human, I know self interest has, and may always, trump all other considerations. This has been evidenced in Hans J. Morgenthau's 1949 publication, The Primacy of the National Interest, and more recently, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers Revisited experiment exposing the unanimous resolve of 75 Wharton School of Business seniors to maintain their privilege even when confronted with the unfairness it entails. This may be the honest summation of Jefferson's life. I don't know if the actual can ever be overcome by the ideal.

[@smulanx3]

This is a good channel. I love that you list all your sources.

[@ZackeryCampbass]

Exceptional work. I want to especially thank you for using so many primary sources. This is a great illustration of how history should be taught and studied.

[@MrPastaTube1]

Ryan, I am always delighted by the depth of your research and the clear structure of your videos.

[@EarlHayward]

Maybe because I am much older, but this was high school history back in my day!

[@josephkelly2190]

History is just that, history. It is the past, no one can change. What happened yesterday, we can only learn from it for tomorrow. Looking at us today and looking at these folks just 200 years ago, I would say we have made significant progress and should be proud. Does not mean that we should not always strive to change and improve, but we have come along way baby.

[@mattfarr137]

I haven’t checked yet, but it’d be awesome if Ryan did a video like this on all the major Founding Father’s and Slavery

[@emigdiogabrielmatosferrera7824]

3:04 Be careful referencing David Hume as it can be interpreted that in that exact extract he implies his opinios upon the equality of white people. He is know for having racist thoughts as written by himself on his essay "Of the national characters" in 1753 where Hume writes: "I have a tendency to suspect that the blacks and in general all the other species of men (because there are four or five different classes) are naturally inferior to the whites".

[@Matt-kt9nm]

There will always be the possibility of alternate interpretations to a given text, or statement. Especially when it's on a divisive topic.

[@Sweetthang9]

People can't help but see this essay as some sort of condoning of his actions...which shows how incandescent this topic is, and how much that visceral rage obfuscates a lot of the truth. This all happened. Talking about it does nothing but inform. And informed population can therefore make decision that benefits most (is there such thing as benefitting all?). People take for granted that they know slavery its bad from the moment they can form memories, but back before that idea was even widespread, it wasn't unusual to have to explain to people WHY slavery is bad. There are still people in this world that don't know that. There has to be nuance, or people will find ways to exploit the ignorance.

[@TitterpigRancher]

THANK YOU for presenting a balanced and real look at Jefferson, the greatest thinker of his day (and my personal favorite of the Founding Fathers), without attempting to skew it towards one side of the political spectrum or the other. He was obviously, from his own writings, a man tormented by the dichotomies of his own beliefs on human freedoms and the social strictures of his day. This video essay puts that into clear relief. Jefferson was a complex man and the workings of his mind are not always obvious through is actions. Great work.

[@1998halflife]

what npr/pbs should be today, thank you sir.

[@CbsOmegaOmniX]

I’m surprised you didn’t go into the details of the fact that he was in debt for most of his adult life (debt that only got worse the older he became) since that played one of if not the biggest role as to why Jefferson didn’t/couldn’t free most of his slaves but still interesting video.

[@derek3708]

Thanks for talking about "forbidden" things without bias brother

[@charleshinesjr.2360]

The idea that Southerners, unlike Northerners, we're lazy and didn't want to work in the hot sun and therefore embraced slavery is nonsense. Slavery died out in the north because the crops grown there, primarily wheat, barley, oats, etc., required heavy labor at only two points during the growing season, planting and harvesting. It was simply more economical to hire paid labor for those two relatively short periods. Rice and indigo which were grown in the south required heavy labor throughout the entire growing season making the cost of purchasing, housing, feeding, care, and oversight of slaves economically preferential to free paid labor.

[@nbenefiel]

The Haitian slave revolt happened in 1792. It was brutal. Many Americans were terrified that this could happen here.

[@bobdollaz3391]

It's happening now!

[@gregmumbai333]

@@bobdollaz3391 Golly gee partner. Load up that shotgun and get outside! What are you doing typing in the comments?

[@nbenefiel]

@@bobdollaz3391 nonsense

[@rodrigodepierola]

Awesome and nuanced. It's hard these days but you really pulled it off

[@mateoparvex-switzer725]

You’re work is what everyone needs please keep doing what you do.

[@dsgio7254]

I think you contradict yourself : Jefferson called slavery a “moral depravity” and a “hideous blot," That means that he was not a "product of his time" since he had morally progressed compared to the average morals of the time regarding slavery .. The fact that he continued to hold human beings as property his entire adult life also shows that for personal reasons he was not be able to give up his privileges... most ;likely he did not want to sacrifice his own comfortable life.. From this perceptive we might understand better his motives ... and thoughts .

[@FBGII]

I can’t help but think of our current times and that We are in a very critical moment in our history. For this beautiful Land, to truly reach its full potential, it must undo the legacy of Slavery and racism against Black Americans.

[@CharityCatherine]

Months have gone by since you posted here. I miss you. I will keep checking in for about a year. Be well!

[@garyjohnson1466]

This was very good, interesting reading, reading Jefferson autobiography, very eye opening, the seemingly contradicting problems Jefferson faced, still exist today, the ultra wealthy and land owners aren’t willing to lower their level of lifestyles or wealth, they want their cake and eat it as well, we can’t solve the problems today because people in and of power aren’t willing to change, they want change without change, proving its part of our human nature to always generally do what’s in one best interest, people only really only care about preserving their wealth and power and maintaining their lifestyles…

[@duaneswab4659]

Dr. Joseph Ellis wrote a fascinating book on John Adams called Passionate Sage. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, is a 1996 book written by Joseph Ellis, a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College. It won the 1997 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

[@Appleblade]

I think a large part of the problem was not knowing what would happen if blacks were freed. There were many of them, they were uneducated, and they were penniless. Perhaps they would form armies and seek retribution. I have to believe this was a serious if generally unspoken worry.

[@drmodestoesq]

They had the template of the British freeing slaves in their colonies. It was a peaceful evolution from slavery. Which probably would have happened if the British/American colonists had not had a revolution.

[@subcitizen2012]

It's still the generally unspoken worry today...

[@matsanw]

Due to the laws of some states, in many cases the damage that could be done to freed slaves turned freeing them much more difficult than people imagine. People think freeing them would just reset their status and turn them into a normal citizen but it wasn't that simple. Not only that, but as you said, many had barely any skills that would help, and of course, zero money and property or a safety net of relashionships. Outright just letting them go would send many of them to legal problems or their deaths.

[@normanclatcher]

​@@subcitizen2012 Psh. The next civil war won't be fought over race. It'll be against the ultra-rich.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Yet that never happened. Almost as if those fears were just a weak defense for racism and the peculiar institution….

[@barneyboyle6933]

To say he employed child slaves in nail factories doesn’t account for context at all. For one, being a slave in those days was more like working for minimum wage today, just without getting to choose your job. Your food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare were all covered by your “boss” and the jobs you did would likely be safe and simple because slaves were expensive and it would be less financially detrimental to lose a day laborer than to lose a slave. Also, this wasn’t a time and place where kids could just sit around all day playing video games. They had to work one way or another to help their family out. Working in a factory was seen as a much safer job than working in a mine or on a railroad. Even today despite all the naysaying about “sweat shop” factory jobs, the overwhelming majority of people in third world nations choose factory jobs over field jobs when given the choice. For most of the founding fathers their slaves were inherited with their family estate, they were costing them more money than they were worth to keep around, and many refused when offered the chance to be released. Being a northern slave was seen as a better life than being a free laborer

[@zipperpillow]

Thadeus Koszkiuszko (Polish Military Professional) gave Jefferson his backpay as a General in the Revolutionary War, for Jefferson to buy and free slaves with. Jefferson kept the money, and didn't free any slaves. Also, Koszkiuszko gave Jefferson the fur-collared coat that Jefferson wears in his most famous portrait. Koszkiuszko had received that coat from the Russian Czar, who crushed Poland's revolution that followed the American Revolution. Jefferson died in debt, lived beyond his means, posed in other people's clothes and fathered children with his slave girl. FYI.

[@hitchensghost]

The public of the 1790s was composed of people who could read and afford a newspaper. In the south, this was comprised of landowners, who also presumably had slaves. When this came to a head in 1860, an election was virtually fought over this. When the south lost, they never really conceded this issue, and 150 years later, it is still a divisive topic. Considering that 90% of the electorate never had slaves even in that time, it seems that the only reason the dirt poor whites of the south wanted slavery to continue was that it kept themselves off the bottom rung of society. I think a similar mentality exists towards the emancipation of women even today.

[@RebeccaOre]

Alliances of poor whites and blacks got suppressed rather vigorously. The slave owning elite played both against each other quite deftly most of the time.

[@fredbarnes196]

It is a great irony. To become an expert on the enlightenment , first Jefferson required the conditions which allowed him to study, observe, write and eventually become a founder. Those conditions were to enslave others to create the wealth to allow him to indulge in his philosophy

[@realgabrielflandes]

8:10 The expansion of slavery was less about white people wanting leisure (somewhat of a factor) and more about economics like the growth of the cotton industry. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 revolutionized cotton production. The cotton gin was a machine that efficiently separated cotton fibers from their seeds, making the process much faster and more cost-effective. This technological advancement had a significant impact on the Southern economy. Cotton became a highly profitable cash crop that could be easily processed and transported, leading to an increased demand for both land and labor. As a result, plantation owners sought to acquire more land to cultivate cotton, which in turn required more labor to work the fields. Slavery had already existed in the Southern colonies before the cotton gin's invention, but the demand for labor on cotton plantations skyrocketed due to the machine's efficiency. The need for a large and inexpensive workforce led to the expansion of the slave trade. Slave labor became essential to the economic success of these plantations.

[@howardroark3736]

I’m Black, but also the biggest Jefferson nerd you never met. I enjoyed this well researched video, but there were a couple of points I wanted to add. 1) The biographies by Dumas Malone indicate that he was financially unable to free his slaves. We have to understand that many (perhaps most) of the Virginia planter class were heavily indebted. Jefferson’s land was likewise encumbered with heavy debts, and although he repeatedly attempted to pay off his debts, he was never out from under them, and he died in debt to the point of insolvency, pushing for a legislative act that would allow him to sell his property via a lottery scheme so that he could pay off his debt on his deathbed when he had been unable to in life. 2) Although he held some (very common for the time) racist beliefs, his Notes on Virginia explicitly advocated for the abolition of slavery. I don’t think it makes sense to ascribe any blame to him for other people using his words to justify slavery, when the larger set of his writings were unambiguously against it. Calling it a “hideous blot” on society says it all. There is no reason to think he ever stopped opposing it, and he banned the importation of new slaves once he was President, at least putting a stop on expansion of the practice (besides natural population growth). 3) It remains a matter of controversy whether Jefferson fathered any children with Sally Hemings. There has been genetic testing done, but all that can prove is that a male Jefferson relative is related to the descendants of Sally Hemings. As for who that is, there are a few possible candidates. The Jefferson family has had their own family lore (that it was his nephew), while the Hemings family has their tradition that Sally and Thomas were in love (per what she allegedly told her son), weird though it sounds given that she was not free to leave once she returned to the United States. Either way, the Hemings family are Jeffersons, but if they’re not descendants of Thomas specifically, his hypocrisy is much less.

[@curt3494]

Jefferson was like most people are today. In the 21st century most people abhor factory farming, but still endorse it through their shopping habits.

[@bunnybird9342]

It's because it's too engrained.

[@curt3494]

@@bunnybird9342 You could have said exactly the same about slavery.

[@bunnybird9342]

@@curt3494 well yeah that was the point I was trying to make

[@jensonee]

i'm 79 this month. when my aunt was alive and my dad had died, i asked her to tell me something about their childhood. she told me of when her dad had beaten mine and then stomped on him as he laid on the ground. my aunt told me even at the moment she was telling me the story, she put her hands over her eyes so she wouldn't see her brother, who was her hero, being beaten and stomped on by their dad. after beating my dad my grandfather would prance around like a rooster, so proud, he was king of the house. times change. behavior changes.

[@olivergilpin]

💯💯 things change. Terrible your dad suffered like that though, I hope he manages to evolve and grow from the experience later in life.

[@jensonee]

@@olivergilpin i my dad was an immense improvement over his. same with my mother, all though she was insane at times. the thing is that each generation, if given the chance, evolves to a better person, parent. but it can be reversed. we can go backwards. as in republicans wanting to increase the age for voting to 25. they fear the evolution going on. they do want to reverse the positive awareness of the young voter.

[@أفلاكالأفكار]

Jefferson could have easily freed his slaves whether during his lifetime like Robert Carter III did or posthumously like Washington did. The reason he didn't is that he had massive debts and to him, it was more preferable to have slaves fund his book and architecture addiction and luxurious lifestyle rather than actually tighten his belt and make himself financially solvent so that he could free his slaves.

[@christophervinson5088]

If Jefferson treated slaves well and humanly, why couldn't he have just hired workers?

[@anthonysteele8932]

I’d imagine it’s because slaves are less expensive

[@normanclatcher]

Simple economics. (Sorry guys.)

[@lif3andthings763]

He didn’t treat them humanely. He separated families and whipped them.

[@jomckellan]

@@lif3andthings763 Jefferson was mocked by other slavers for his light hand. Jackson, on the other hand, would tell those who caught his runaway slaves to whip and chastise those poor people thoroughly.

[@lif3andthings763]

@@jomckellan lmaoo. He raped a 13 year old girl and bred slaves to be sold.

[@pastor-tom-sims]

I think your analysis is sound, but I think that Jefferson also suffered from a human flaw: rationalization. I believe that, given his profound financial issues and debt, his desire to maintain his lifestyle, and his emotional and material dependence upon the foul institution of slavery, he succumbed to a deficit of moral courage. To do what he believed right would have simply been to costly for him; so he built arguments to support his own lifestyle. This is speculation on my part because neither his contemporaries nor his own writings would have supported this contention.

[@pastor-tom-sims]

You actually do say this at the close of your lecture and I wrote and posted my observation prior to that. Excellent work!

[@RickySTT]

If slave owners are despots, as Jefferson correctly wrote, then a “benevolent slave owner” is about as realistic as a “benevolent despot.”

[@willsmith4584]

I this a few months ago and trying to fund this channel again was extremely difficult like KZbin doesn't want me to search for my own choice of content.. Seriously it was gone from my watched history.

[@prestonasher2291]

Very well done. You kept it neutral and fair as possible. Thank you! Most would compare his actions today's standards, and we must not look at history that way.

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

Thanks for the calm level headed analysis. Very good to hear a clear head and primary sources.

[@Hiraghm]

The clause about equality in the DoC was referencing the Divine Right of Kings; it was not asserting that men literally were equal.

[@FalconFastest123]

Ironically, while watching this video, an ad for Better help came on in which a young woman stated "I personally prefer a black female therapist." Imagine the outcry such an add would cause if she had substituted white for black in that ad. Racism has gone from anti-black to neutral to anti-white in the space of only a few decades.

[@johnnycasteel7]

I feel like it’s a little like Jefferson Came To the realization later on in life it was wrong and like Neo waking up from the matrix. After that it was a journey to figure out what to do next.

[@xqs329]

I have watched this video a couple of months ago and in that time I could not get it off my mind. Within me , it had provoked thoughts I can not fully put into words.

[@tyrlant2189]

Jefferson was right...

[@xqs329]

@@tyrlant2189about what?

[@tyrlant2189]

@@xqs329 he really wishes every aRaAaCaE was equally capable (at competing in modern civilization), but they just aren't. This creates tension between us, they will always see us as dominate and holding them back (we do in a way, we easily outcompete them in most areas), and will repress jealousy because deep down they know. It is apparent the egalitarian worldview has failed to produce the multicultural utopia it promises, it made a permanent brown underclass that doesn't produce and costs exorbitant amounts of tax money instead. It also replaces us in the lands our ancestors fought so hard to give us.

[@derekmcnulty2559]

I think industrialization does not get enough credit for reducing the need for large quantities of unskilled agricultural labour- which contributed to the decline of the need for a large agrarian workforce- and therefore slavery. With the advent of industrialization and urbanization we see a major shift away from agrarian economies or the labour required to cultivate and process it. The cotton gin did make cotton more attainable to more people, and therefore the demand but eventually with mechanization and proliferation of petrochemicals we see a rise in synthetics and less of a reliance on hand picked "stuff'.

[@RebeccaOre]

I cheer every time I see a tractor in Nicaragua. Coffee can be machine harvested, but that requires capital investment and doesn’t work well on steep terrain.

[@foyo5497]

I know this story is deeper than what is presented, but one major point missed was Jefferson`s promotion and signing of the "Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves" which went into effect in 1808. This is something that is rarely talked about and I see this as a "chipping away" at the institution of slavery in the States. Also that he believed slaves couldnt simply be released as they have little to no skills to live as free people. Hence why he had the enslaved listed in trade skills (soap Makers, roofers, shoemakers, etc) at Monticello. Another important note missed is that when he, like many others, inherited slaves, they also inherited their debt.

[@HOLYOKEFLATS]

that’s a good way to look at it but each day that they didint be realeased they were being klDa torecharde and physically diminished specially the women who they made have children with each other as a selective breeding like dog breeders smh so are you really helping them ? each day vlood was spilling tears were shed and the scared screams of petrified innocents in the night that went unheard ..the world ,God, dosent require slavery to grow even if they we’re ignorant in time they would have developed.

[@endlessnameless6628]

The very fact that he was a student of the European enlightenment makes it even harder to reconcile his actions. He would have been well aware of people like Wilberforce, Clarkson and Sharp In Britain and Benezet in the US who had outlined the highly persuasive moral arguments against slavery ( might have given more context if those had been in the video after the defense of) and had actively started to exert political pressure for its abolition as early as the 1770's. In fact slavery was an issue DURING the revolutionary war when the royal governer of Virginia offered freedom to enslaved blacks if they fought for the British and around 2000 actually did. By the 1770's, the House of Commons in Britain had already debated a motion 'that the slave trade is contrary to the laws of God and the rights of men'. Ignatius Sancho, a black former slave, had been already been allowed to vote for members of parliment in Britain around the same time. The Quakers had founded the first abolition society in 1775 and within ten years there were almost twenty abolitionist movements in the nascent United States. We should always view people through the social mores and norms of their time in order to avoid 'presentism' but the fact is that people were well aware within Jefferson's lifetime how monstrous the institution of slavery actually was and a huge groundswell against it was well underway within his era, something he would have absolutely have been appraised of. The hard truth is Jefferson ignored the massive human suffering inflicted by chattal slavery and despite the high minded lanuage of his writings, he chose to adopt a political lassaiz faire attitude toward something he knew to be a moral stain on humanitys collective character and yet it's one thing to expediently choose to not speak out about it in public life but its quite another to actually engage in it on a personal level. Jefferson wasnt a bystander, he was a participant in a very real sense and, as noted in the video, he drove his slaves hard. In fact when he died, he freed only ten people in his will and kept over six hundred human beings in chains.Jefferon chose to perpetuate slavery even after his death. We cant even call it a moral blind spot as his writings show us he was well aware of the barbarism of the slave trade yet he chose greed over human brotherhood and fraternity. It is, by any measure, an appalling level of hypocrisy.The fact a man as seemingly enlightened as Jefferson would use the oxymoronic phrase 'benevolent slaveholder' should leave us all distinctly queasy .For all the elevated ideals set down in the declaration of independence, we are still sadly left with a man who lacked the courage of his convictions and whose words ring hollow when set against his deeds.Jeffersons adherence to real politick in order to prevent a political schism within the US over slavery entailed kicking the can down the road for another generation to deal with, thereby extending that 'peculiar institution' by almost a hundred years.

[@mattosborne2935]

Ryan I live in Alabama. White people didn't shirk work because it's hot here. If you look at a heat map of slavery in the south on the eve of the Civil War you will note that it was very much a phenomenon of the riverine economy here. The Alabama River is ancient, with the alluvial topsoil 50 feet deep in some places. There was less of that along the Tenneessee, hence fewer slaves because the geology was less suited to plantation agriculture. Parts of the south which saw active resistance to the CSA were generally hardscabble hill country where dry farming was a Jacksonian affair.

[@andmicbro1]

Jefferson being against racial mixing is perhaps the most ironic piece of his writing considering he fathered mixed race children. He'll always be a sort of enigma to me. He was quite brilliant, and forward thinking, but he was clearly held back by many of the popular ideas of his day.

[@ryushinu84]

No slave holder can be benevolent.

[@romecottrell6444]

I also believe that slavery is unconsciously harmful, I do enjoy watching this video.

[@tedphillips3119]

He’s leaving out a gigantic detail. Jefferson couldn’t free his slaves because he was deep in debt.

[@kennethwilliams9135]

He could have easily freed his slaves and dealt wirh his debts. Jefferson was full of shit, this video is the same and just apologetics. Stop making excuses.

[@samcox443]

I have not studied Jefferson as deeply as Chapman but what I've read tells me it was the profit motive that drove him to keep his slaves while at the same time reprimanding overseers who could not properly grasp the benefits of treating slaves as valuable property that made more profit with less cruelty and punishment from the overseers.

[@catsmom129]

This vid taught me more about black resistance than about Thomas Jefferson - and that’s probably a good thing. It’s important to remember that “Jefferson was of his time” does not mean he went unchallenged.

[@granthurlburt4062]

Terrific account of the complex history, given the context of a different time. I've been a faculty member of several US & Canadian universities (Biology, thank my lucky stars, which is far less vulnerable to protests based on superficial knowledge). I am pretty certain that the complex account you give of a complex person & situation could not be given as a series of lectures in most if not all universities today. I dont thnk any of listeners think slavery is or was OK, or that any race (real or imagined) of human being is inferior to any other

[@tesmith47]

Trust me, SOME White folks have very bad thinking

[@HansLemurson]

The politics of Slavery I think presents a good analogy for CO2 emissions and Global Warming in the modern world. How difficult it is to remove or a change a system embedded in society even when it has been shown to be harmful, when it is used by so many as an engine of the creation of wealth, complete with the idealism of reformers and the resulting conservative backlash.

[@ryanvannice7878]

"Do as I say, not as I do" is a human philosophy. How many times have you seen a "great thinker" who espouses grand societal change fail to implement even a little of his/her grand vision into their own lives? I believe that we need to hold these thinkers to account, so i think you've given Jefferson too much of a pass. Granting freedom would've largely impacted only him yet he allowed his self interest to rule over his ideals.

[@SeaMonkey137]

A huge oversimplification from this analysis is that "much" of the South eschewed "outside" labor. Best estimates are that in 1850, 90% of the southern states' economies were agricultural in nature (mercantiles also being a large portion). Of those, the vast majority (85% or more) was comprised of subsistence farming. These people certainly had no aversion to being outside in the fields. Only a relatively few (compared to the number of subsistence farmers) wealthy land-owners depended on slavery or forced labor to run their planting systems.

[@Falco_Del_Fiume]

His cousin figured out a way to free his slaves. Basic problem for slave owners was that much of their fortune was tied up in their salves. So he allowed his slaves to buy their freedom by working overtime. Slaves had a set time they had to work for their owners. Within 10 year most of his slaves were free men and women. Jefferson had a business that made nails. His slaves could work there for pocket money.

[@mellissadalby1402]

I very much appreciate this visdeo. Many of these details are new to me, and I am grateful to learn them now. I have long wondered why the slave trade persisted for so long in diametric opposition to the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.

[@TK0_23_]

This Declaration of Independence was a letter to the King of England. He was saying to the King that all men, kings and their subjects are created equal. A truly revolutionary thought. He was also saying this in the sense of what people think today.

[@Straitsfan]

While Jefferson hated slavery, he also knew that you couldn't just free them. They had to learn how to use their freedom properly. Besides, he also said -- and no one wants to admit this -- that he never thought blacks and whites could live together in the same government. He explicitly said so.

[@1956paterson]

From the very beginning of the American Republic, Thomas Jefferson provides the example that money and property is what most Americans value more than human life. This was the argument for keeping slavery in the southern states even after the American Revolution was economic, black labour working the fields especially after the cotton gin invention meant that slavery was too valuable to give up. And look at the current American Empire of the United States ruled over by a bipartisan plutocracy controlling the congressional military industrial complex that profits from endless wars to the detriment of Americans and the victims of American imperial aggression.

[@kazz970]

At least you provided sources this time.

[@ijohnny.]

Always use the prefix "en" before any word involving "slavery"-- thus: enslavement, enslaver, enslaved person -- and the personal agency needed to promulgate the so-called "institution" is invoked.

[@ethankillion786]

This is one of Ryan Chapman's better videos, pretty insightful not just on Jefferson but also the time. One section that really confused me is with how Jefferson described the "inferiority of the slaves" where he characterized them as incapable of understanding Ovid or poetry and some shit like that. And I'm thinking, "is Jefferson r*tarded?" THEY WERENT EDUCATED TOM!!! Which is why he changed his tune a little when he saw the literary works of freed slaves, he kinda realized "oh, they can be educated."

[@bunnybird9342]

What he said was about black peoples in Notes on the State of Virginia was fucked up but at least he admitted that it was all speculation and that they might have only been like that because of their condition in slavery. Also to be fair, of course you would wonder that if the vast majority of black people you see are enslaved…

[@austinmorris981]

One of the Founders, Gouverneur Morris, of New York, did object to slavery at the time of the Constitutional Convention. See "Gentleman Revolutionary" (2003), by Richard Brookhiser.

[@austinmorris981]

@WhatApp-vj2tp

[@jeffbybee5207]

I think that you have overlooked or not viewed this subject through economic glasses. When slavery was thought dying the uneconomic cost of slave labor was obvious. Then the cotton gin was invented and suddenly cotton became profitable. The irony is the planter borrowed money for land and slaves driving up the cost of each to the point the planter might live well but was alway on a treadmill. Irony because sharecroping caused the blacks to work harder and more efficiently. Yet while costing the planter from the gain in natural increase but saves the cost of caring for the old the sick.

[@rconger24]

This business of freedom had to start someplace. It was necessary for some to win freedom sooner, some later because it was just not possible to free everyone at once.

[@deanw4646]

One point that was not addressed: If he had freed his slaves, what are the odds that their lives would have been better vs more difficult? It's probably more likely that their difficulties would have actually been increased. Remember, there was no such thing as a "free black community" in existence anywhere outside of Africa. Freed slaves had a very difficult existence unless they were highly educated (rare) or wealthy. This is not meant to justify Jefferson's choice of not freeing them. This point is merely to remind us that it's easy, from our vantage point in the 21st century, to gloss over the difficulties involved in choosing a different course. In the context of his time, it's fair to say that no easy solution was obvious.

[@gusplaer]

So, he was decient to his slaves and rightly knew if he turned them all loose, someone else would round them up and treat them worse or maybe even kill them. Also look at how they act when their ebt cards don't work. They riot. Also that was very humanitarian of him to sugjest edjucation for them to be integraded into a free society so they could have a skill set and not just be wandering around homeless. Plus could you imagine if they had free'd them and just dumped them back off in africa? Assuming that they and the crew survived the trip. They'de likely starve to death shortly after or be taken by warlords and sold to the muslims, who didn't give two sh!ts about racism. .

[@Jamestele1]

Good stuff! I like the non agenda driven history of America. We all know that most history of the world had negatives and positives, but it's nice to hear facts and nuance.

[@themeat5053]

Great presentation. The right hand movement is very distracting. I, finally, scrolled down so as not to see you conduct the orchestra. Keep up the good work.

[@FatBoy42069]

As bad as this may sound in Jefferson’s mind the freedom and deportation idea was popular until the end of the civil war and would of given those freed men and women more freedom to do as they pleased then they got after the end of the civil war.

[@TheFluffyDuck]

Jefferson the first NIMBY.

[@amazinggrace5692]

I see we “improved the life” of Native Americans as well. If Jefferson thought emancipation would prompt a race war, then isn’t that proof enough that what you are doing now is wrong?

[@joebuckaroo82]

I wish to assert that while it is true that "religion" before the enlightenment did hold sway in the politics of Europe, one might also note that the religion of the time was also man-centered in that the Pope, the King, and another relatively small group of individuals used and interpreted religious texts in a way that enabled them to wield power over their fellows. Also, that the interpretation of "science" was also used to further racist ideals.