Among the outstanding American personalities, Thomas Jefferson has a prominent place. His political views were expressed in the Declaration of Independence of 1776 (Branch, 2018). Jefferson sought to build a new republic in America representing a classical democracy in which human rights would be fully respected, including the right to life, liberty, property, participation in the political life of society. Thomas Jefferson’s main challenge he faced was slavery which he tried to eliminate.
Thomas considered the slavery society’s order unethical and strived to highlight the importance of racial equality. In 1779, as a practical solution, Jefferson supported the gradual emancipation, training, and colonization of enslaved African-Americans (Kern, 2020). He believed that the emancipation of unprepared people who had nowhere to go and no means of subsistence would bring them only misfortune (Jefferson, 2018). In 1784, Jefferson proposed a federal law banning slavery in the New Territories of the North and South (Bickford & Hendrickson, 2020). Moreover, being the author of the Declaration, he proclaimed the independence of the United States, emphasizing the all people’s rights protection issue.
Jefferson’s ethical challenge was built on the theory of moral sentiments. According to this approach, “moral instinct” is an inherent right of all people (Gordon-Reed, 2018). This challenge was resolved personally for Jefferson because the slavery problem was addressed. Even though Jefferson managed to implement the base equality norms in the society’s order, racial discrimination exists even today. However, slavery itself has eliminated thanks to Jefferson’s ideology.
Therefore, Thomas Jefferson considered slavery one of the major sins of society. According to Jefferson’s ideology, ethical attitudes in the activities and behavior of people should become an essential factor in political relations between them. Jefferson personally succeeded in resolving the challenge of slavery. However, this problem still echoes in modern society in racial discrimination. Nevertheless, thanks to the ideology proposed by Jefferson and other outstanding personalities, the American community realized the importance of the protection of human rights and racial equality. Today America is one of the advanced countries in terms of acceptance and tolerance.
References
Bickford, J., & Hendrickson, R. (2020). An inquiry into liberty, slavery, and Thomas Jefferson’s place in American memory.The Social Studies, 111(1), 1–10. Web.
Branch, B. (2018). Could Thomas Jefferson have ended slavery: An economic analysis. Business Quest, 1, 1–25.
Gordon-Reed, A. (2018). America’s original sin: Slavery and the legacy of white supremacy. Foreign Affairs, 97, 2–12. Web.
Jefferson, T. (2018). The autobiography of Thomas Jefferson. Musaicum Books.
Kern, S. (2020). Restoration and slavery: Two new exhibits. Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum University of Minnesota Press, 27(2), 106–110. Web.