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How Did Thomas Jefferson Respond To The Declaration Of Independence

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Thomas Jefferson, the great president and the writer of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson did not expect the Declaration of Independence to end slavery, his slavery clause indicates his distaste for the growth of the institution of slavery and yet his actions are inconsistent related to slavery. He tried to get the slave trade abolished, yet he owned slaves, it has been said he had a sexual relationship with one of his slaves, and he used them for his plantations. Why did he go through the trouble to even stop slaves when he owned so many?
The committee writing the Declaration of Independence was John Adams, Ben Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson. According to Russell Shorto, in Thomas Jefferson and …show more content…

Randall states “He believed that all men and women had been created equal and he considered blacks as MEN--he had capitalized the word in the clause in the Declaration of Independence that had been stricken by the Second Continental Congress” (592). Jefferson’s slave clause was only defeated by one vote, and according to Allison he wanted slaves gone by 1800 (114). Aaron Schwabach who wrote “Thomas Jefferson, Slavery, Slaves.” said that by January 1, 1808 all states with except for South Carolina, slaves became illegal. Jefferson did not take the changes well, he became disappointed by the slavery part getting turned down (277). Jefferson also states that it is the King’s fault for the slave trade going on for seven years, he is the one who started it, he blames him (Randall 212). Short further explains that the British are bringing slaves to America without our consent (88). Furthermore Randall explains that Jefferson was trying to free all slaves by the time they reached their adulthood (302). The first time Jefferson spoke during the meeting he said “all men are created free” (147). These findings challenge Jefferson’s actions considering he owned

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Washington was joined by slaves while leading the Continental Army in the field of battle, as well as during his time as president. Yet Wiencek also argues that the Revolution and the establishment of the new democracy changed Washington’s beliefs on slavery. By the end of his life, Washington had changed completely and “sickened by slavery, willing to sacrifice his own substance to end it.” (Wiencek 274) Many of the founding fathers recognized the problems created by slavery.

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There are occasions that cause for political activist to take a stand. Benjamin Banneker and Florence Kelley address social issues with slavery and child labor laws, while John F Kennedy discuss economic issues with private vs public interests. As American society attempts to alter their progress in social equality and economic balance, it has stumbled upon obstacles. Americans strive to achieve greatness, yet the abuse of power and wealth stands in the way.

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Benjamin Banneker, the son of former slaves, writes to secretary of state Thomas Jefferson about the dispute over slavery in America. Banneker is a free man and believes slavery is morally wrong. He chooses to write particularly to Thomas Jefferson because of Jefferson’s negative inclination towards African-Americans as well as the fact that he is in charge of domestic policy. Ultimately, Banneker wants Jefferson to come to his own realization that slavery is wrong and that equality shall remain supreme in America. Banneker provides a syllogistic argument in order to remind Jefferson of the past.

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The negative diction and details clearly show that Banneker is dismayed concerning the issue of slavery, while the positive diction show that Banneker is tenacious concerning the need to end slavery. Banneker uses negative diction to let Jefferson know why slavery needed to end; Banneker uses such words as suffer, injustice, and slavery. Banneker uses the words to remind Jefferson about the treatment of slaves was injustice and how the United States once used to be in the same predicament. Banneker also appeals to Jefferson’s Christianity by using these words to show that all people did not have freedom.

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"Therefore, Thomas Jefferson is not a hypocrite because he wants slavery to end and, he believes it 's a awful thing. When he wrote the declaration of independence he did not know african americans were capable of learning, but once he was exposed to it, his opinion changed. Jefferson want nothing more than to end slavery and he would do anything to make that

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Jefferson, being the framer of the Declaration of Independence has spoken upon the rights he believes every man should have. Banneker is sure to include these important words in his letter. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These words state that every man is created equal, but with the system of slavery still intact, those words have no meaning. Banneker accuses Jefferson of saying these words but not acting upon them.

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Thomas Jefferson was a major player in the formation of the early republic as both an author and political figure. In the few years following the revolution Jefferson served as the governor to his home state of Virginia. During this time he began to write his book Notes on the State of Virginia which would be published several years later. Jefferson covers a quite a few topics related to the state of Virginia in the late eighteenth century and actively voices his opinion fully understanding that many of the readers may not agree with him. One topic that he discusses at length is slavery and race, In an excerpt from featured in Major Problems he compares and contrasts Native Americans, slaves, and blacks.

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It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ”-John Adams. A supporter of the Declaration of Independence and everything it stands for. In the spring of 1787 Jefferson was sent the works of the Constitutional Convention. Jefferson the main author of the Declaration of Independence was very curious as to what the founding fathers had written.

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By using The Declaration Of Independence ans Jefferson's letter about Shay's Rebellion I can prove that Thomas Jefferson would likely support modern day protest. In the letter it states, "What country before ever existed without a rebellion." This supports my claim because he supports that there was no country in the world that didn't have any kind of disagreement. According to The Declaration Of Independence it states, "...all men are created equal." This also supports my claim because if all men are created equally then people would have the right to say what is on their mind.

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I have come up with the conclusion that Thomas Jefferson would likely support modern day protests. I did this using text evidence from the Declaration of Independence and his letter on Shays’ rebellion. It is shown in both documents that he clearly supports, and encourages opposing views. In the Declaration of Independence it states, “…whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the people to abolish it...”. He also says, “…it is their right,

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On June 7, 1776 the Second Continental Congress made the official decision to separate themselves from Britain. Thomas Jefferson was given one month to put together a document that declared the colonies’ desire for independence and explained the rationale behind such a desire. As the document was formed, it became clear that the assertion that all men were born equal would be central in the forming of this new country, though the rights of enslaved people were notably excluded. Within the finalized version of the Declaration of Independence there is no mention of slavery itself nor the abolition, or eradication, of it; however, within previous drafts of the declaration, Jefferson devotes a paragraph to the subject of slavery, as well as

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I agree with your point. Perhaps, Jefferson realized that slavery was wrong way when it against his principles which he wrote about liberty and happiness of each person in Declaration of Independence. However, Jefferson is fearful of emancipation of the slavery because he knew it would threat to the Americans' life, and obviously he believed that Americans and slaves never can live in the same country. Therefore, as you mentioned, slaves must be removed from the country if they are freed

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The American Revolution had an impact on slavery. The Revolution had conflicting Effects on slavery. The northern states abolished the institution outright. In the South, the Revolution severely disturbed slavery, but ultimately white Southerners succeeded in supporting the institution . The Revolution also inspired African-American resistance against slavery.

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Thomas Jefferson is known for his famous line “all men are created equal”. However, his intentions do not exactly match up. Thomas Jefferson’s ideas and beliefs about slaves strike him as being a racist. In Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson compares slaves and dogs, and other horrible assumptions are made about slaves. He describes their death as “An animal whose body is at rest, and who does not reflect, must be disposed to sleep of course.”

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Jefferson wanted to abolish slavery but when freed they had to be removed from society since slaves took up most of Virginia’s population. In order to have a “disappearance” of an entirely black population Jefferson deported the future generation by shipping infants to Haiti. Jefferson believed deportation was the best solution because blacks and whites couldn’t coexist in America because of the nature of our color and intelligence. Blacks were “inferior” and were not capable of Christian virtue and salvation (Takaki 65). Many African Americans challenged Jefferson with evidence of what they are capable of but Jefferson refused to change his “opinion” (Takaki

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