Did Jefferson Really Plan to Free Slaves Before the Civil War? Spoiler Alert: It’s Complicated!
Buckle up, folks, because the new History channel docuseries *Thomas Jefferson* is diving headfirst into the complicated legacy of one of the founding fathers. You know, the guy who penned “All men are created equal” yet owned hundreds of enslaved people. Classic.
So here’s the tea: Jefferson supposedly had a grand plan for emancipation way back when he was strutting around as a young lawmaker in the Virginia House of Burgesses. According to his own memoir—written when he was 77—he and a cousin pitched a bill to end slavery but were met with a big ol’ “nope” from the House. Jefferson claimed this was in 1769—like, a hundred years before the Civil War—and that he promptly gave up on the idea, choosing to let the status quo ride instead. Historians, however, are raising some serious eyebrows at Jefferson’s self-aggrandizing narrative. Annette Gordon-Reed, a historian featured in the series, touches on discrepancies in Jefferson’s claim, and she’s not alone.
Enter Paul Finkelman, a law scholar who notes that there’s no hard evidence beyond Jefferson’s word to back up his story. It’s like that one friend who always claims they invented toast but can never provide proof. And even Frank Cogliano, who literally wrote a book about Jefferson, says the records from that time just don’t match Jefferson’s autobiography saga.
So here’s a mystery: Why would Jefferson, years later, try to cast himself as a misunderstood liberator? Was it a desperate attempt to frame himself in a more enlightened light as history started to catch up with him? Because, spoiler alert, he didn’t just sit pretty during his presidency. While he did sign a law to end the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, he also made the Louisiana Purchase—effectively doubling the nation’s size and guaranteeing the spread of slavery. Oops! It’s like ordering a salad but getting a side of fries you didn’t ask for.
In short, the docuseries is all about unpacking a seriously tangled web of contradictions, from Jefferson’s supposed intentions to his troubling actions. So the real question we’re left with is: Was Jefferson a visionary aiming for change, or just a master of revisionist history? You’ll have to tune in to find out!
Sources: Celebrity Storm Wire and People Magazine, A&E Networks
