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When Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery are examined, several seeming contradictions arise. Although Jefferson fought strongly against slavery, he himself kept slaves. Also, while he believed blacks should be emancipated, he believed that they were intellectually inferior. Furthermore, he believed that blacks should form their own country separate from the United States. these views show that Jefferson was a racist who believed in the abolition of slavery. Jefferson strongly believed in the abolition of slavery. In 1769, in the Virginia House of Burgesses, he tried to obtain "'...permission for the emancipation of slaves'" (Cohen 297-298). In the Declaration of Independence, one of the grievances Jefferson set forth against the King of England was that he forced America to continue to participate in the slave trade. However, this was stricken from the Congressional document because of the anger of the delegates from the southern states (Randall). Later, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson denounced slavery "...on almost every ground, from moral issues to practical economics" (Cohen 297), but was reluctant to circulate the book because he feared the anger of southern slave holders (Cohen). Even while using slave labor himself, Jefferson wrote about the injustice of slavery (Randall). In fact, he "...detested slavery and argued in strong language for emancipation" (Cohen 297), believing that it was degrading to both the slaves and the slave owners. Jefferson's strong belief in emancipation appears to have been unwavering (Cohen).
Despite his strong belief in the abolition of slavery, Jefferson did not truly believe that blacks were equal to whites. In fact, he believed that blacks were intellectually inferior to whites. When Benjamin Banneker, a free black, sent Jefferson a copy of an almanac he had published, Jefferson wrote a letter praising him but remained unconvinced that blacks and whites were intellectual equals (Cohen). Jefferson was never fully convinced of the intellectual equality of blacks (Randall).
Furthermore, Jefferson believed that free blacks should "...form a separate and independent country of their own..." (Cohen 298) that would have the alliance and protection of the United States. He believed that peaceful coexistence was impossible because of the ill will that would exist between former slave owners and former slaves (Cohen).
Thus despite having clearly racist views, Jefferson strongly believed in the abolition of slavery. However, some events cause one to question whether Jefferson's racist views were only expressed publicly for the sake of his political career or if they were how he truly felt. The events that transpired between Benjamin Banneker and Jefferson suggest it was the former. Jefferson quite clearly expressed his personal opinions when writing the letter in which he praised Banneker's intelligence. However, when southern slave holders showed their disapproval, Jefferson was quick to say that Banneker's almanac had not convinced him of the intellectual equality of blacks and even began to insinuate he suspected that Banneker had help for a white neighbor when writing the almanac (Cohen).
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