Few figures in American history appear as hypocritical as Thomas Jefferson. At once the author of the Declaration of Independence and a prominent Virginia slave owner, Edmund S. Morgan refers to Jefferson as the “slaveholding spokesman of freedom.” It is because of the obvious contradictions between Jefferson’s belief in freedom and his embrace of slavery that many have seen him as an equivocal thinker caught up in a deep personal dilemma over the prevalence of slavery in American society. However, one document presents the American President in a very different light. In 1785, Jefferson anonymously submitted Notes on the State of Virginia to a French printer. The document provides a comprehensive overview of nearly everything relevant to
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He begins with an explicit rejection of extreme racism early in the “Query VI” chapter so that Jefferson can later make an implicit argument for white stewardship over people of color. This “door-in-the face” technique, in which Jefferson presents and then rejects an extreme argument, makes his larger idea that white people should be the masters of all other races seem far less extreme in comparison to the earlier extreme position he has rejected. Jefferson begins by describing the Native Americans of Virginia with a quotation that he presents from M. de Buffon of France. The quotation is exceptional, even for its time. In it, de Buffon argues that the natives of South America “love their parents and children but little,” are “feeble,” and even refers to their “small organs of generation.” Jefferson rejects de Buffon’s argument, calling it no more or less credible than the “fables of Aesop.” He goes on to reject the idea that Native Americans are physically different from other races as well as to praise the bravery and honor that the “Indians” of Virginia embody. However, a discerning reader notices that he interspres his praise of Native Americans with implicit arguments for white paternalism. Jefferson states that an Indian man tends to fight honorably and to surrender to whites “who he knows will treat him well.” He later …show more content…
First, however, he must establish a clear ideology of racial difference between white people and black people. It is worth noting that, although Jefferson believes Native Americans to be equal to white people, he still uses phrases like “Homo sapiens Europaeus” in the Notes that suggest that he believes white people to be of a distinct, superior race to all others. Jefferson further leverages his previous thinking on Native Americans by subjecting blacks to the same characteristic-based attacks from which he absolved Native Americans. Just as he argued that Native Americans were the intellectual equals of white people, he now changes course and argues that black people are “in reason much inferior” to white people and “dull, tasteless, and anomalous” in imagination. He even constructs race as if it were determinative of the smallest human characteristics by suggesting, for example, that black people are capable of staying up all night if “induced by the slightest amusements.” This technique is uniquely effective to construct racial difference between white and black people: because Jefferson discussed these same characteristics regarding Native Americans earlier in the essay, Jefferson implies that asking if other races share similar characteristics with white people is a very reasonable academic inquiry to make. Now, he has answered the question
He begins with an explicit rejection of extreme racism early in the “Query VI” chapter so that Jefferson can later make an implicit argument for white stewardship over people of color. This “door-in-the face” technique, in which Jefferson presents and then rejects an extreme argument, makes his larger idea that white people should be the masters of all other races seem far less extreme in comparison to the earlier extreme position he has rejected. Jefferson begins by describing the Native Americans of Virginia with a quotation that he presents from M. de Buffon of France. The quotation is exceptional, even for its time. In it, de Buffon argues that the natives of South America “love their parents and children but little,” are “feeble,” and even refers to their “small organs of generation.” Jefferson rejects de Buffon’s argument, calling it no more or less credible than the “fables of Aesop.” He goes on to reject the idea that Native Americans are physically different from other races as well as to praise the bravery and honor that the “Indians” of Virginia embody. However, a discerning reader notices that he interspres his praise of Native Americans with implicit arguments for white paternalism. Jefferson states that an Indian man tends to fight honorably and to surrender to whites “who he knows will treat him well.” He later …show more content…
First, however, he must establish a clear ideology of racial difference between white people and black people. It is worth noting that, although Jefferson believes Native Americans to be equal to white people, he still uses phrases like “Homo sapiens Europaeus” in the Notes that suggest that he believes white people to be of a distinct, superior race to all others. Jefferson further leverages his previous thinking on Native Americans by subjecting blacks to the same characteristic-based attacks from which he absolved Native Americans. Just as he argued that Native Americans were the intellectual equals of white people, he now changes course and argues that black people are “in reason much inferior” to white people and “dull, tasteless, and anomalous” in imagination. He even constructs race as if it were determinative of the smallest human characteristics by suggesting, for example, that black people are capable of staying up all night if “induced by the slightest amusements.” This technique is uniquely effective to construct racial difference between white and black people: because Jefferson discussed these same characteristics regarding Native Americans earlier in the essay, Jefferson implies that asking if other races share similar characteristics with white people is a very reasonable academic inquiry to make. Now, he has answered the question