08-25-2017, 11:27 AM
(08-25-2017, 11:22 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Because of the southern states, the founding fathers definitely deferred the issue of slavery to future generations. Jefferson's own history on the subject is very uneven. He introduced legislation in Virginia to abolish the practice, but didn't push hard for it at the national level. I think he firmly believed it needed to be left up to each state to handle the issue in their own time and at their own pace. Another reason he didn't push much for it in later years was because he was seriously in debt. His slaves and Monticello were his only real assets, and an end to slavery would have left him destitute.
Regardless of all of that, I don't think it can be denied that there was an undercurrent of racism that existed within Jefferson. As I said, many people at the time, and in the years after, saw slavery as immoral and many even felt that they were entitled to equal rights under the law. That definitely doesn't mean they didn't have the same racist views, because many did when you examine their writings. R.E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, the men whose statues really stirred up this latest round of dialogue, could have the same said about them. Both were slave owners, both saw it as immoral, both saw it as something Virginia needed to come to terms with on its own, and both saw black people as inferior to white people. They were just on the losing side of history and so more people are more inclined to tear down their monuments than others.
Yea, I think to say he is a symbol of white supremacy is basically to say the whole era is. I think you have to look at historical figures with respect to the time period they lived in. We kind of already condemn the time period for what it was, but you literally would have to tear every statue down if we start going this route.
Interesting to note Robert E Lee was all for unification post war and didn't want statues of himself, or other confederate symbols, made knowing they could be used as symbols for separatists to rally behind. In 1856 he actually called slavery evil, but also still maintained slaves himself. Another kind of weird paradox of the time.
