I'll just add that Jefferson's drafts never were codified because there wasn't support for them in the legislature.
"It wasn’t until 30 years or so later when John C Calhoun imported German Enlightenment philosophy that the notion of slavery as a positive good was born."
I'd debate this as the case. It's not that simple. There was a very c…
I'll just add that Jefferson's drafts never were codified because there wasn't support for them in the legislature.
"It wasn’t until 30 years or so later when John C Calhoun imported German Enlightenment philosophy that the notion of slavery as a positive good was born."
I'd debate this as the case. It's not that simple. There was a very complicated dynamic between the industrialized north and the antebellum south that required compromise on many levels just to get agreement on a confederation, let alone ratifying The Constitution. The south was concerned about the more populous north controlling the legislature if we just used free-persons as a measure of representatives in the house. Then it gets codified in the Articles, then The Constitution, and slavery becomes a power struggle and a point of contention for tariffs and pretty much takes on a life of its own.
It's very easy for us looking back at the default state of affairs 300 years ago and project the injustices of our current time on to our forefathers. Slavery was a normally accepted practice all over the world for MILLENNIA until the Queen of the British Empire declared it unjust. Slave holders could be of any race or nationality. So could their slaves. It just depended on what place and time we're talking about.
I highly recommend Thomas Sowell's "Black Rednecks and White Liberals."
“It takes no more research than a trip to almost any public library or college to show the incredibly lopsided coverage of slavery in the United States or in the Western Hemisphere, as compared to the meager writings on even larger number of Africans enslaved in the Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa, not to mention the vast numbers of Europeans also enslaved in centuries past in the Islamic world and within Europe itself. At least a million Europeans were enslaved by North African pirates alone from 1500 to 1800, and some Europeans slaves were still being sold on the auction blocks in the Egypt, years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed blacks in the United States.” ― Thomas Sowell, Black Rednecks and White Liberals
Also, Gordon Wood's "Empire of Liberty" does a good job of showing the change in attitudes on slavery from 1789 to 1812, but it's a more generalized look at the country and it doesn't dedicate as much to it as Sowell's book. It is an excellent book in its own right giving you a good flavor of the dynamics of the politics happening in the country during the period. https://amzn.to/3pE0LVo
There are some very good books on Jefferson himself, to which his attitudes on slavery are covered along with his attempts to abolish them:
Basani's "Liberty, State, and Union: The Political Theory of Thomas Jefferson" is excellent. https://amzn.to/3PG7tot
Gutzman's "Thomas Jefferson - Revolutionary: A Radical's Struggle to Remake America" covers the slavery dichotomy as well. https://amzn.to/44R8RZV
Gore Vidal's "Burr" is a very untraditional look at the United States through Jefferson's Vice President's eyes. I think it is a very compelling story that shows a very different perspective of Jefferson worth exploring. https://amzn.to/44xiQ6f
Lastly, Patrick Newman's "Cronyism: Liberty versus Power in Early America, 1607–1849" really takes a hammer to the founding fathers, shedding light on backroom deals and skeletons in the closet. Nobody is spared and you'll see that politics hasn't really changed in 300 years. https://amzn.to/3PLFgMR
Excellent, thanks - also best books on Mexican American war and relations with Mexico before and since. Also the history and growth of the US defense industry. Thanks again
I'll just add that Jefferson's drafts never were codified because there wasn't support for them in the legislature.
"It wasn’t until 30 years or so later when John C Calhoun imported German Enlightenment philosophy that the notion of slavery as a positive good was born."
I'd debate this as the case. It's not that simple. There was a very complicated dynamic between the industrialized north and the antebellum south that required compromise on many levels just to get agreement on a confederation, let alone ratifying The Constitution. The south was concerned about the more populous north controlling the legislature if we just used free-persons as a measure of representatives in the house. Then it gets codified in the Articles, then The Constitution, and slavery becomes a power struggle and a point of contention for tariffs and pretty much takes on a life of its own.
It's very easy for us looking back at the default state of affairs 300 years ago and project the injustices of our current time on to our forefathers. Slavery was a normally accepted practice all over the world for MILLENNIA until the Queen of the British Empire declared it unjust. Slave holders could be of any race or nationality. So could their slaves. It just depended on what place and time we're talking about.
I highly recommend Thomas Sowell's "Black Rednecks and White Liberals."
https://amzn.to/37IczIU
“It takes no more research than a trip to almost any public library or college to show the incredibly lopsided coverage of slavery in the United States or in the Western Hemisphere, as compared to the meager writings on even larger number of Africans enslaved in the Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa, not to mention the vast numbers of Europeans also enslaved in centuries past in the Islamic world and within Europe itself. At least a million Europeans were enslaved by North African pirates alone from 1500 to 1800, and some Europeans slaves were still being sold on the auction blocks in the Egypt, years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed blacks in the United States.” ― Thomas Sowell, Black Rednecks and White Liberals
Also, Gordon Wood's "Empire of Liberty" does a good job of showing the change in attitudes on slavery from 1789 to 1812, but it's a more generalized look at the country and it doesn't dedicate as much to it as Sowell's book. It is an excellent book in its own right giving you a good flavor of the dynamics of the politics happening in the country during the period. https://amzn.to/3pE0LVo
There are some very good books on Jefferson himself, to which his attitudes on slavery are covered along with his attempts to abolish them:
Basani's "Liberty, State, and Union: The Political Theory of Thomas Jefferson" is excellent. https://amzn.to/3PG7tot
Gutzman's "Thomas Jefferson - Revolutionary: A Radical's Struggle to Remake America" covers the slavery dichotomy as well. https://amzn.to/44R8RZV
Gore Vidal's "Burr" is a very untraditional look at the United States through Jefferson's Vice President's eyes. I think it is a very compelling story that shows a very different perspective of Jefferson worth exploring. https://amzn.to/44xiQ6f
Lastly, Patrick Newman's "Cronyism: Liberty versus Power in Early America, 1607–1849" really takes a hammer to the founding fathers, shedding light on backroom deals and skeletons in the closet. Nobody is spared and you'll see that politics hasn't really changed in 300 years. https://amzn.to/3PLFgMR
Excellent and invaluable information, much appreciated!
Excellent, thanks - also best books on Mexican American war and relations with Mexico before and since. Also the history and growth of the US defense industry. Thanks again