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Jefferson as Slave Master
We hear Jefferson defenders say that Jefferson was a "good" slave master. It's a way of softening the fact that the man who wrote "all men are created equal" continued to hold slaves throughout his entire life. And a way of claiming that he would never take advantage of a young slave girl.
But what does being "good" mean? And on what evidence is that judgment based?
An interesting exercise in this regard is to look at what Jefferson himself reveals about himself as slave master through his letters and other writings. Read through the primary documents we have collected in the "Jefferson on Race and Slavery" section. Hear Jefferson himself "speak" about being a slave master.
Here's a tentative list of letters and documents that might be especially pertinent:
1769: Advertisement for a Runaway
07/30/87: Letter to Eppes
07/11/88: Letter to Lewis
07/16/88: Letter to Gordon
01/26/89: Letter to Bancroft
11/27/93: Letter to Church
10/06/05: Letter to Bradley
07/31/06: Letter to Daugherty
1807: Thomas and Ellicot
04/16/12: Letter to Perry
07/26/13: Letter to Goodman
12/21/05: Letter to Jordan
04/23/07: Letter to Lewis
01/17/19: Letter to Yancey
What to look for? Return to the question of what being a "good" slave master means. Here's some suggestions. Does he take adequate care of the physical needs of his slaves -- food, clothing, shelter? Does he recognize and support their human needs -- for love, a stable family unit, education or food for the mind? Does he establish good working conditions or treat them primarily as tools for his benefit? Are there provisions for caring for them in sickness and old age? What is he like as buyer, as trader, as seller of slaves? How does he deal with runaways? What kind of disciplinarian is he? Does he have any close bonds with his slaves? Are the slaves property -- what does he think of them when he runs into debt?
See also: Fehn, Bruce. "Thomas Jefferson and Slaves: Teaching an American Paradox." Magazine of History 14.2 (2000): 24-25.
