Thomas Jefferson on Slavery essays

Thomas Jefferson on Slavery essays Thomas Jefferson (born 1743, died 1826) was the third President of the United States. Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people (Bernstein 205). He said that the main objects of all science are the freedom and happiness of man (Jefferson Digital Archive). Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, Who championed rights and liberation, did not implement his beliefs, especially with his practice of slavery. Between May 17 and June 28, 1776, Jefferson wrote the constitution for Virginia and The Declaration of Independence, his two most famous political documents (Bernstein 250). Jefferson served as a member of the Committee to draft the Declaration of Independence (History Channel Online). The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, remains Jeffersons best known work. It set forth the position of the American people and their desire to govern themselves. He believed in the natural rights of all people: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (Bernstein 207). His original draft of the Declaration of Independence included strong language opposing the transatlantic slave trade. Foreign affairs dominated his day-to-day attentions while president, often pushing him toward Federalist policies that contrasted with his political philosophy (Brodie 209). Jefferson also opposed slavery. How could slavery exist in a land where all men are created equal? Jefferson felt that this abomination (slavery) must come to an end. And there is a superior bench in heaven for those who hasten the end of slavery (Jefferson Digital Archive). He believed that All men are born free (Brodie 105) and as a young politician he argued for the prohib...