Thomas Jefferson's Hypocrisy: Slavery and Double Standards

Introduction

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, has often been accused of racism and double standards. Jefferson paradoxically emphasized the concept of personal liberty but acted contrary to his own writings. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson advocated for fairness and equality, yet a body of evidence shows that he supported slavery and racial discrimination against Black Americans. He continued to own slaves and engage in the slave trade even after his own declaration, which was widely regarded as marking the beginning of the Enlightenment Period. Unlike his contemporaries, who freed their slaves during the Enlightenment Period, Jefferson held on to his and used his influence to undermine efforts aimed at ending slave ownership. Jefferson considered Black Americans, whether free or enslaved, to be "pests," and even pushed for the enactment of a law that would render them outlaws.

A number of Jefferson's supporters have, however, argued that since the Declaration had a total of 56 signatories, it did not quite represent Jefferson's personal view. In this regard, Jefferson was not bound by the same; and therefore his actions relative to the declaration do not provide a sound basis for the charge of hypocrisy.

Slavery and Jefferson's Racial Views

Hypocrisy, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, refers to "behavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel." This paper reviews a number of instances in which Jefferson is thought to have acted contrary to what he led people to believe through the Declaration of Independence, and ultimately reaches a verdict as to whether Thomas Jefferson was indeed a hypocrite.

Research Question: Was Thomas Jefferson really a hypocrite?

The following sections provide an in-depth examination of the controversial issues surrounding Jefferson's beliefs and views. The Declaration of Independence, of which Jefferson was co-author, provided the framework that would govern interactions between American citizens of different races in the years that followed. The hypocrisy accusations were leveled against Jefferson after the declaration, when he apparently changed his earlier views and adopted a pro-slavery stance. He documented this new position in a collection entitled Notes on the State of Virginia. One way of determining whether he has been rightly accused is by conducting an "inquiry into whether Jefferson's later stands were consistent with the universal principles" outlined in his very declaration (Richardson 449).

Black Dependency and Jefferson's Contradictions

Jefferson is thought to have given his lifelong support to slavery. Although his Declaration of Independence managed to change others' views, it had no effect on his own. He attached a significant degree of importance to slavery; indeed, his "image in America would be almost perfect, were it not for slavery" (Finkelman 194). Jefferson was a slave owner his entire life and freed only an insignificant number of his slaves, even in the post-declaration period (Finkelman 194). This was contrary to his writings, which portrayed slavery as an inhuman act (Gordon-Reed and Takagi 108). Moreover, Jefferson may not have been the most humane of masters. He is said to have at times used his slaves as wedding gifts, or placed them on the frontline during war so that they faced higher chances of death (Gordon-Reed and Takagi 108). He did this because he considered Black people anomalous, tasteless, dull, and of low intellectual capacity (Magnis 494).

Jefferson's supporters have consistently argued that it would be wrong to apply modern principles of justice as the basis for judgment, since Jefferson's controversial actions took place in the 18th century and the prevailing mode of thinking was different (Finkelman 196). A second argument offered by his proponents is that he simply acted out of care. In their view, since Black people were unproductive, unable to make logical decisions, and dependent on White people, there was no need to free them. The slaves were, in this view, actually better off as such — kept busy and made more productive.

Jefferson, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, undermines the abilities of Black people and alludes to the fact that they occupy a lower station than White people and cannot match them (Magnis 496). In his view, Black people were simply born to be slaves and to serve White people. Jefferson compared African slaves to Roman slaves. While both groups were enslaved, he argued that Roman slaves gave rise to scientists, artists, and thinkers (Magnis 497). African slaves, he claimed, could achieve nothing; the reasoning was straightforward — "the Roman slaves were white, proving that race, not condition, made the difference" (Magnis 497). In summary, Jefferson maintained that Black people were inherently inferior to, and could never equal, White people (Wood 39).

Conclusion

It is evident that Jefferson's actions were mostly driven by convenience. He acted in a particular way whenever it suited him, with little regard for justice and fairness. There are clear inconsistencies in his actions — not only with regard to the Declaration of Independence, but in relation to his own stated personal beliefs as well. The defenses offered by his supporters rest on what can only be described as shaky grounds. Based on the evidence presented in this paper, Thomas Jefferson has been rightly accused: he was indeed a hypocrite.