Not a sphinx, no riddle to be solved

My friends, it pains me deeply to hear the quills of misinformed people brand me a contradiction, a hypocrite, or, as one boldly put it, a sphinx. These labels, I confess, often stem from my public stand against the institution of slavery whilst I, myself, remain entangled in its chains as a slaveholder. Yet, I beseech you to ponder two points to illuminate the complexities of my time and place.

First, consider the fate of those souls in my care at Monticello were I to set them free in a Virginia yet bound by slavery’s iron grip. The laws and customs of our Commonwealth offer no scaffold of support for freed men and women—no legal protections, no assured means of sustenance. Would they find greater liberty scrabbling for survival in a society that scorns their freedom, vulnerable to re-enslavement or destitution? Or might they fare better within the bounds of Monticello, where, though not free, they are fed, clothed, and sheltered under my stewardship? The choice is not so simple as liberty or chains; it is a question of survival in a world unprepared for their emancipation.

Second, reflect on this: were I to abandon my convictions and embrace the ways of other slaveholders—casting aside my public cries for abolition—would not the charge of hypocrisy fade? I would no longer be charged a contradiction. Monticello’s coffers would surely swell if I adopted the harsher methods of my neighbors, driving my people with the lash to wring greater profit from the land. Yet I strive to treat those in my care with a measure of humanity, to educate some, and to advocate for a future where slavery might end.

These points, I humbly submit, are worthy of your consideration. The truth of my life, like that of our fledgling nation, is not a riddle to be solved but a labor to be understood.