My true record on slavery

I neither refrain from addressing the issue of slavery, nor refrain from correcting those ignorant speaking falsehoods about my philosophy and actions on slavery.

My philosophy on slavery can be summarized in a letter to Brissot de Warville in 1788:

"You know that nobody wishes more ardently to see an abolition not only of the trade but of the condition of slavery: and certainly nobody will be more willing to encounter every sacrifice for that object ... I am here as a public servant; and those whom I serve having never yet been able to give their voice against this practice."

Thus, once slavery was banned, I was willing to endure the financial sacrifice of that ban. My actions consist of many attempts -- too many to list here -- passing laws to limit or abolish slavery in Virginia. But like I explained to Brissot de Warville, 18th century Virginians who I served did not want to abolish it. In fact, Virginians did not want to abolish it in the 19th century as well.

Why did I not free my slaves, who I call "my people" or "my servants"? Without laws to ban slavery and a strong support system, where would freed slaves go and what would they do to support themselves? There was no viable socio-economic system for them to survive, much less thrive, not to mention the lack of an unprejudiced legal system that could protect them.

James Hemings, my servant, who I trained as a skilled chef in France and who I freed, later committed suicide is one example where a lack of socio-economic support system means suffering and death to freed slaves, literally. After James Hemings was freed, he sometimes came back to Monticello because Monticello was his refuge. Monticello was not a place of abuse. Such as Mr. George Manly who I helped free in a court case in 1772, and afterwards as a freed man, he worked at Monticello.

If I had it my way, slavery would be banned in 1776. I would have taken a significant financial hit but I supported that change. With this change, there would have been a viable legal and socio-economic system to provide former slaves opportunities to survive and even thrive. As it was, after decades of fighting to abolish slavery, I eventually hung my hopes on future generations instead. People were simply not ready in Virginia, its one stain. I am a public servant, not a tyrant.

So my critics on the slavery issue are wholly uninformed about who I am, what I believe in, and what I did. But now you know. And for those of you who had carefully studied me, you already knew.