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> It's striking to consider the self-delusion that must have been necessary for people at the time to believe in such wildly inconsistent notions as "inalienabl

by deogeo 7y ago

> It's striking to consider the self-delusion that must have been necessary for people at the time to believe in such wildly inconsistent notions as "inalienable rights" and slavery. Perhaps they simply viewed one as the goal to strive towards, and the other as the current, unfortunate state of reality. Especially given that they had a civil war not six decades after Jefferson's presidency, and paid a high price in their own blood to secure those rights. Edit: By 'they', I meant people in general, not specifically Washington and Jefferson.

Ididntdothis 7y ago
You can’t let them get away that easily. Jefferson and Washington could have freed their own slaves at any time but chose not to.
- virmundi 7y ago
  Sigh. Washington did free his slaves. Virginia blocked Jefferson from doing so.
  - sfuller808 7y ago
    https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/washingtons-1799-will/ https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/washin... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_slavery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_slavery
  - Ididntdothis 7y ago
    Washington freed them only after his death and from what I know that didn’t work that well either so a lot of them remained slaves. In what way did Virginia force Jefferson to keep slaves?
- carapace 7y ago
  Washington had a slave batman whom he kept all through the Revolutionary war. > William "Billy" Lee (1750–1828), also known as Will Lee, was George Washington's personal assistant and the only one of Washington's slaves freed immediately by Washington in his will. Because he served by Washington's side throughout the American Revolutionary War and was sometimes depicted next to Washington in paintings, Lee was one of the most publicized African Americans of his time. ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lee_(valet) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lee_(valet)

by deogeo 7y ago

Ididntdothis 7y ago

You can’t let them get away that easily. Jefferson and Washington could have freed their own slaves at any time but chose not to.

virmundi 7y ago
Sigh. Washington did free his slaves. Virginia blocked Jefferson from doing so.
- sfuller808 7y ago
  https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/washingtons-1799-will/ https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/washin... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_slavery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_slavery
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  Washington freed them only after his death and from what I know that didn’t work that well either so a lot of them remained slaves. In what way did Virginia force Jefferson to keep slaves?
carapace 7y ago
Washington had a slave batman whom he kept all through the Revolutionary war. > William "Billy" Lee (1750–1828), also known as Will Lee, was George Washington's personal assistant and the only one of Washington's slaves freed immediately by Washington in his will. Because he served by Washington's side throughout the American Revolutionary War and was sometimes depicted next to Washington in paintings, Lee was one of the most publicized African Americans of his time. ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lee_(valet) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lee_(valet)