How Did Benjamin Banneker Support The Abolition Of Slavery

Though slavery persisted in the colonies, there were a number of free Black men, such as Benjamin Banneker. Born to a mixed mother and African father, Banneker was allotted the gift of freedom from infancy and allowed an education from his parents. He became one of the first well-known intellectual Black men of the colonies, and took advantage of his intellect and station in order to speak out against the injustices of slavery in a letter to Thomas Jefferson. Written in 1791, his letter is several pages long and urges Jefferson to fight for the emancipation of the slaves in America.

A note here, that up until that year, Jefferson’s political career consisted of exactly one decision in support of emancipation. This law, known as the Northwest

The ordinance itself was intended to speed up expansion of the states into other territories and include them all under the pre-existing government. Territories or principalities formed outside of the American government would inevitably cause discontent and division of resources. This ordinance forced any newly settled lands to become part of the country and obey the same laws. As for the restriction on slavery in the new states, it was a sorely needed refuge for those who had begun to believe that enslavement of another person was wrong. The parties in America had already formed separate opinions on the issue. Rebellions were more common and the issue of who, exactly, counted towards the official population of a state would determine what states controlled a majority of new legislation. Jefferson wrote it simplest, though, in a letter to John Holmes in 1820, “...so their diffusion over a greater surface would make them individually happier, and proportionally facilitate the accomplishment of their emancipation, by dividing the burthen on a greater number of coadjutors. An abstinence too, from this act of power, would remove the jealousy excited by

It gave him the appearance of supporting emancipation, thereby garnering the support of free black men and white men who also supported emancipation, but was not obvious enough that it put him in clear opposition to those who would rather maintain the power that slavery gave them. There were some that disliked Jefferson for his apparent support, but the followers he gained through the motion far outnumbered the