JEFFERSON DIDN'T
FREE HIS SLAVES. RIGHT.
WELL, HE COULDN'T.
FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE, PRACTICAL, HE
COULDN'T AFFORD TO.
HE WAS DEEP IN DEBT, AND
DIED WITH THE EQUIVALENT
OF $100,000 IN DEBT.
WHICH WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT
OF MONEY IN THOSE DAYS.
AND SO, HIS CREDITORS, OF
COURSE, WOULD HAVE CLAIMS.
AND DID HAVE CLAIMS
ON ALL HIS PROPERTY.
HE FREED A FEW SLAVES.
OR, CONDONED THEIR
SELF-FREEDOM. SELF-EMANCIPATION.
AND THEY INCLUDED
ALL OF HIS CHILDREN.
THE PRACTICAL REASON,
THEN, IS HE COULDN'T DO
IT FOR FINANCIAL REASONS.
THE ESTATE WOULDN'T ALLOW IT.
WASHINGTON WAS A MUCH BETTER
MANAGER OF HIS OWN ESTATE.
BUT THEN THERE WAS AN
IDEOLOGICAL REASON.
AND THIS IS THE ONE THAT MORE
DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING
FOR US TO GRAPPLE WITH.
AND THAT IS THAT JEFFERSON
DID NOT SEE, OR PROFESSED NOT
TO SEE, THE POSSIBILITY OF
AN INTERRACIAL REPUBLIC.
THE COEXISTENCE OF FREED
FORMER SLAVES WITH
THEIR FORMER MASTERS.
THERE ARE LOTS OF
REASONS FOR THIS.
ONE WOULD BE HIS NOTION OF WHAT
A REPUBLIC IS, BASED ON THE
FULL EQUALITY OF CITIZENS.
HE SETS A HIGH STANDARD
FOR CITIZENSHIP.
AND THE IRONY OF THAT IS THAT
IT MEANS THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO,
BY HIS ESTIMATION DON'T REACH
THAT HIGH STANDARD,
CAN'T BE CITIZENS.
IT'S MUCH EASIER TO ACCOMMODATE
DIFFERENCE WHERE YOU HAVE A
HIERARCHICAL NOTION OF SOCIETY.
AND THE POLITY.
THAT IS, WHERE YOU HAVE, AS THE
CONSERVATIVE FEDERALISTS WOULD
DO, A NOTION OF THE SOCIAL
ORDER IN WHICH THERE ARE
PEOPLE AT THE VERY BOTTOM.
AND, FOR JEFFERSON, AT LEAST
IN THEORY, EVERYBODY'S
ON THE SAME PLANE.
THIS IS WHY THIS NOTION OF THE
YEOMEN FARMER, FREEHOLDER IS
SO IMPORTANT SYMBOLICALLY
TO JEFFERSON.
THAT'S A WAY OF TALKING ABOUT
THE EQUALITY OF CITIZENS.
SO ONE EXPLANATION IS THAT
THEY DON'T MEET THE STANDARD.
NOW, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.
WHY COULDN'T THEY
MEET THE STANDARD.
AND THIS IS WHERE JEFFERSON'S
RACIAL IDEAS COME INTO PLAY.
AND THAT IS, AS HE SUSPECTED,
BLACK PEOPLE WERE INFERIOR.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE
MENTAL CAPACITY TO
BE TRULY INDEPENDENT
SELF-GOVERNING CITIZENS.
SO, FINALLY, THE BAR TO
EMANCIPATION IT'S NOT JUST THAT
YOU NEED TO EMANCIPATE THEM AND
THAT'S ENORMOUSLY EXPENSIVE.
AND FOR HIM, IMPOSSIBLE,
BEING IN DEBT.
BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO
DO SOMETHING WITH
THE FREED PEOPLE.
WHERE WOULD THEY GO?
JEFFERSON'S PANACEA, HIS
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF
WHAT TO DO WITH FORMER SLAVE,
IS TO EXPATRIATE THEM.
SEND THEM SOMEPLACE ELSE.
I MENTIONED LOUISIANA
EARLIER AS ONE POSSIBLE PLACE
THAT THEY COULD BE SENT.
AND HE REHEARSES THESE IN A
FASCINATING LITTER TO MONROE,
IN WHICH WE TALKS ABOUT ALL
THE VARIOUS PLACES WE COULD
SEND THE FREED PEOPLE.
THIS IS JUST AFTER GABRIEL'S
REBELLION IN VIRGINIA, WHERE
THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT
GETTING RID OF THESE
DANGEROUS PEOPLE.
AND THEN, PERHAPS, FOR SOME
MORE VISIONARY REFORMERS,
GETTING RID OF EVERYBODY.
ALL THE BLACK
PEOPLE IN VIRGINIA.
AND JEFFERSON SAID, WE COULD
SEND THEM TO THE WESTERN LANDS.
BUT THEN, HE SAYS,
NO WE CAN'T DO THAT.
BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN
MIGHT NEED THAT LAND.
WELL, HOW ABOUT SENDING THEM
INTO THE DOMAINS OF ONE OF
OUR IMPERIAL NEIGHBORS.
NO, WE COULDN'T DO THAT.
BECAUSE THEN THEY MIGHT BE A
FIFTH COLUMN OR AN AUXILIARY,
OR AN ALLY OF OUR ENEMIES
IN THE NEXT GREAT WAR.
REMEMBER, HE'S ALWAYS WORRYING
ABOUT THE NEXT GREAT WAR.
WELL, MAYBE TO AFRICA.
THAT'S AN IDEA.
THE BRITISH HAD STARTED TO
DO THIS IN SIERRA LEONE.
EVENTUALLY THE AMERICANS
WOULD IN LIBERIA.
AND THAT'S THE IDEA OF
COLONIZATION IN AFRICA.
BACK TO AFRICA. BUT THAT'S ALSO
ENORMOUSLY EXPENSIVE.
THE TRANSPORTATION COSTS.
THE STARTUP COSTS, AS WE WOULD
SAY, IN ESTABLISHING A VIABLE
AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY
IN IN WEST AFRICA.
NOW, FINALLY, HIS SOLUTION
WAS, HE THOUGHT IN THIS LETTER
TO MONROE, WE COULD SEND
THEM TO SANTO DOMINGO.
WE COULD SEND THEM TO
THE BLACK REPUBLIC.
THE GREAT THING ABOUT THAT IS,
ONE, THE UNITED STATES NEVER
RECOGNIZED HAITI UNTIL
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
AND THEREFORE, WAS NOT
OBLIGED TO RESPECT TO TREAT
HAITI WITH ANY RESPECT.
THAT IS, THERE WERE NO LEGAL,
UNDER THE LAW OF NATIONS, NO
LEGAL INHIBITIONS ON AMERICANS'
USE OF POWER TO MAINTAIN
CONTROL OVER, OR TO PREEMPT,
THREATS FROM HAITI.
MUCH BETTER TO HAVE OUR FORMER
SLAVES CABINED UP IN THIS KIND
OF ISLAND PRISON, WHERE WE CAN
EXERCISE ANY FORCE NEEDED TO
PUT DOWN ANY THREAT TO THE
REPUBLIC, THAN TO HAVE
THEM POSSIBLY RISING UP IN
REBELLION IN OUR OWN MIDST.
AND HE USED A VERY COLORFUL
IMAGE IN AN EXCHANGE WITH JOHN
ADAMS DURING THE MISSOURI
CONTROVERSY, IN WHICH HE
COMPLAINED THAT RESTRICTIONISTS
WHO WANTED TO STOP THE SPREAD
OF SLAVERY IN MISSOURI WANTED
TO GIVE OUR SLAVES A DAGGER
TO STAB US IN THE BACK.
IT'S A GREAT CONCERN FOR A
SOUTHERNER, SLAVEHOLDERS,
THAT IS, SERVILE INSURRECTION.
SO JEFFERSON CAN'T DO
ANYTHING ABOUT SLAVERY.
BECAUSE, AS HE SEES IT, THE
ONLY POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ARE SO
GLOBAL, OR REQUIRE SO MUCH
INVESTMENT AND SUCH A WRENCHING
CHANGE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY,
THAT HE HIMSELF ACTUALLY
COULDN'T CONTEMPLATE IT.
AND THAT'S WHY HE FAMOUSLY
SAID TO EDWARD COLES, HIS
CORRESPONDENT FROM ALBEMARLE
COUNTY, WHO MOVED TO ILLINOIS
AND FREED HIS OWN SLAVES.
HE SAID, YOU
SHOULDN'T GO, COLES.
YOU NEED TO STAY
HERE IN VIRGINIA.
BECAUSE IT'S YOUR GENERATION
THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO
DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM.
IF YOU ESCAPE, THEN, OF
COURSE, THAT'S NOT GOING
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
