Comments on: Thomas Nelson Pulls David Barton’s The Jefferson Lies

By: Warren

Warren — Wed, 30 May 2018 20:38:24 +0000

In reply to Byron Harvey. Well, I can attest to that Byron.

By: Krista Vessell

Krista Vessell — Wed, 30 May 2018 20:28:23 +0000

Jon Rowe, Jefferson also advocated deportation of blacks because, in his own words, “Their amalgamation with the other color produces a degradation to which no lover of his country, no lover of excellence in the human character can innocently consent.” – Letter to Edward Coles, August 25, 1814.

He also expressed this same sentiment in his “Notes on the State of Virginia:”

“Among the Romans emancipation required but one effort. The slave, when made free, might mix with, without staining the blood of his master. But with us a second is necessary, unknown to history. When freed, he is to be removed beyond the reach of mixture.”

Personally, I feel that this had something to do with Jefferson’s reluctance to simply free his slaves the way Edward Coles did.

By: Jon Rowe

Jon Rowe — Wed, 30 May 2018 20:28:23 +0000

I haven’t studied Jefferson’s views on race/slavery as deeply as I have his views on religion; still I have looked over the race/slavery issue quite a bit. I’m no fan of Barton’s work. I do see Jefferson was quite distressed about slavery and give him credit for articulating the ideals of the Declaration of Independence which are anti-slavery (if you work out the logic of the DOI’s principles). I think Jefferson would have liked to have seen his slaves freed. What Barton doesn’t admit is it was Jefferson’s character flaws that were responsible for him not seeing his slaves freed. Yes Jefferson’s hands were arguably tied. But by what? By his financial improvidence that left his estate in so much debt that he couldn’t afford to free his slaves.

By: ken

ken — Wed, 30 May 2018 20:28:23 +0000

J.R.Francis says:

September 8, 2012 at 11:07 pm

“Secondly, the VA law you quote above is dated 1782. Barton states that some of these provisions were repealed in 1806”

Because Barton mis-quoted the 1782 law, claiming it was the law that prevented Jefferson from freeing his slaves. And warren has addressed the other laws in place after 1806 in this blog (and in his book).

By: TxHistoryProf

TxHistoryProf — Wed, 30 May 2018 20:28:23 +0000

Jon Rowe,

Jefferson’s lavish Parisian lifestyle caused more of his financial issues than other issues. If he truly wanted to free his slaves he would have found a way to curtail his spending that would allow him to free his slaves. Like others in the Southern planter class, he had grown to accustomed to the lifestyle that slave labor afforded him and also like others freed slaves upon his death when he would be in no need of temporal pleasures slaves afforded him.