Featuring: Larry Kenneth Alexander
Transcript:
Thomas Jefferson, a slaveholder, founding father, and principal author of America’s Declaration of Independence, grappled with the social and moral implications of slavery in his 1785 work, Notes on the State of Virginia. Jefferson recognized the corrosiveness of slavery, not only on the enslaved but also on the slaveholders and America’s populace. He argued that slavery undermined America’s democratic ideals and rule of law, warning of its potential to erode the nation’s aspirational identity as a just and lawful society.
From the outset, Jefferson spoke of slavery as a brutal and lawless institution, a form of racial tyranny and despotism that stripped Black individuals of their humanity and legal rights. His critiques extended beyond the physical and psychological harm inflicted upon the enslaved, emphasizing the moral corruption it imposed on the slaveholders. He viewed slavery as a corrosive force that threatened the foundations of America’s democratic principles and the character of its citizenry.
Jefferson’s assertion that slavery constituted despotism, historically associated with totalitarian states and dictatorial rule, was a provocative and striking view. He knew of slavery’s corrupt origin and Parliament’s abolition of colonial slave codes by way of the American Colonies Act of 1766, as he listed the abolition of slave laws as a grievance in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson’s view provides a lens to reconsider America’s narrative that the Declaration excluded Black colonials and the emergence of white supremacy and exceptionalism ideologies.
In this context, Jefferson admitted that rebellion was a rational response to slavery. He famously wrote, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. That considering numbers, nature, and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune and exchange of situation is among possible events, that it may become probable by supernatural interference.” These words foreshadowed civil war and the devastating consequences of the founding generation’s decision to enslave 500,000 Black colonials, deny them fundamental due process of law, and propagate the false narrative that America was preordained to be a white nation where Black individuals were chattel property.
And yet, here in America, that lie has proven to be durable, transforming into the toxic ideology of white supremacy and the gospel of American exceptionalism, twisting our ideals into chains. Jefferson knew the truth. He knew that the narrative of slavery was incompatible with the principles of liberty, equality, and justice. He warned that this system, born of greed and perpetuated by willful blindness, was a moral calamity and a national sin.
And so I ask you, how can a nation consecrated to liberty claim to be exceptional while denying humanity to so many? How can it declare itself a democracy while building its foundations on despotism? Jefferson’s words are not just a relic of the past. They are a challenge to the present. We who inherit this nation must confront the contradictions that were woven into its fabric at its birth. We must wrestle with the truth that the promises of the Declaration were not extended to all. And we must fight to ensure that those promises are fulfilled today.
Let us not tremble, as Jefferson did, in fear of divine justice. Let us act. Let us confront the legacy of slavery head-on, dismantling its remnants in our institutions, our culture, and our hearts. For only then can we truly claim to be a nation of liberty and justice for all. Only then will we honor Jefferson’s warnings, heed his wisdom, and redeem the promise of our Declaration of Independence. The time to act is now. Let us rise to the challenge.
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