Income tax is not slavery... Move if you don't like it. Slaves were property, they didn't have the right to move... The klannish are showing their true colors (white supremacy) in this thread...
Yes , by all means lets discard everything the man did as a hypocritical ruse since he owned slaves as was the norm for an aristocrat. Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and lil kim lll are so much better because none had dark skinned slaves which by leftist tradition means all can be forgiven.
Ah, fallacy of the false alternative. The foundation of a man's principles is revealed in how he treats his SLAVES.
Q: What were Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery? A: Jefferson was morally opposed to slavery. He felt it was evil and wrong. His original draft of the Declaration of Independence condemned it in no uncertain terms. As Governor of Virginia he proposed legislation to abolish it. Despite his moral opposition though, he owned a significant number of slaves. Jefferson also wrote laws in Virginia that provided against intermarriage and for the pursuit and capture of runaway slaves. But Jefferson chose personal wealth over freeing his slaves. In his early life, nothing prevented Jefferson from freeing his slaves but Jefferson chose not to do so. Slaves were money. And Jefferson loved money more than freedom for slaves. Later in his life, and after leading a very rich and expensive life, Jefferson was so indebted that he could not free his slaves if he wanted to. Jefferson, in fact, filed bankruptcy during a time when bankruptcy was viewed as a strong sign of personal weakness. Jefferson did however free Sally Hemings and their children. Jefferson had a personal sexual interest in Sally Hemings who Jefferson first bedded when Ms. Hemings was only 14. Yes, Jefferson did own hundreds of Human Beings. He also fathered children with at least one slave; these children also were slaves of his. Jefferson was also concerned about America's karma. Astonishingly, Jefferson wrote about the vengance that God was sure to extract upon his race for owning slaves but kept his slaves in bondage. Thomas Jefferson not only owned slaves but fathered children into slavery. My view of the "founding fathers" is not a pleasant one. A country built on the pursuit of happiness from oppression while condoning that very oppression among a race of people is nothing to be proud of. Furthermore, not only was Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite, he was an adulterer. I believe he was married while he was taking those late night trips to the slave quarters. The reason Thomas Jefferson did not free his slaves was because he thought living a rich life was more important that their freedom. There are apologists for Jefferson who say he was a product of his age. Not necessarily so. George Washington thought slavery was wrong but George Washington was a product of his age. Washington freed all his slaves upon his death and even gave them property to live on and farm. Robert E Lee, yes that one, the confederate general, like Thomas Jefferson inherited slaves when he was young and Robert E Lee freed his slaves. He gave away a huge amount of his personal wealth to keep from practicing what he believed to be an immoral practice. Thomas Jefferson did not love black people. He kept them as slaves and at least one underage black girl became his concubine. You could say he was torn he hated the idea but loved the slaves one in particular Note: There are comments associated with this question. See the discussion page to add to the conversation. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_were_Thomas_Jefferson's_views_on_slavery