I am sorry to tell you, but Jefferson sold his books to the LC in a deal
arranged by his friends, and the U.S. govt. probably paid about twice what it
would have cost to buy all of those same books on the open market. He did not
donate them.
What continues to astound me about Jefferson is the number of half truths and
myths about him (such as he "gave" his books to the US govt.)
In the 1790s Jefferson sold about 85 slaves (that we know of) to pay for his
life style, all the while continuing to purchase wine, art, books, fine china,
and all sorts of other things. This contrasts, for example, with Madison, who
lived a frugal life and did everything possible to avoid selling slaves, even
when he had more slaves that his small land holdings could profitably use.
--
Paul Finkelman
Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law
University of Tulsa College of Law
3120 East 4th Place
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
phone 918-631-3706
Fax 918-631-2194
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
malinda wrote:
> You're being a bit harsh in your "studied" assessment.
>
> Most of the debt Thomas Jefferson was incumbered with derived from
> two sources :
>
> 1) He assumed the debts of his father-in-law
> 2) He spent many years focusing his attention on the development of the
> democracy we now enjoy...and giving to the American Revolution (you
> remember the Army of the Potomac don't you ?) ....rather than lavishing
> his time and money on his own estate.
>
> Oh...and all those fine books of his ? He donated them to the democracy
> for which we stand...they were the beginnings of the Library of Congress.
>
> ~malinda
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Janet Hunter" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 4:40 PM
> Subject: Re: Why the study of Jefferson and Slavery Matters
>
> > Kevin and everyone,
> >
> > Last year about this time, with the release April 12, 2001 of the
> > Jefferson-Hemings Scholars Commison Report
> > (http://www.geocities.com/tjshcommission), etc., we had an extended
> > discussion of this issue, as you may recall if you were on the list.
> >
> > I apologize if this has already been pointed out, but the suggestion of
> some
> > to explain why Jefferson's seeming moral position on slavery collided with
> > his personal behaviour, might be traced to the fact that his personal
> habits
> > put new meaning to the phrase "last of the big-time spenders". The man
> > appears to have been in hock up to his ears, and his slaves were an
> important
> > part of his "moveable assets". He simply couldn't afford to free them.
> >
> > Whether or not he was aware that this was the fix/dilemma he was getting
> > himself into when he made his original comments is unknown. He, of
> course,
> > DID have a choice. He could have done the unthinkable and sold
> Monticello,
> > its contents, etc., etc. instead of keeping his slaves to be sold when he
> > died and the wolves appeared at the door.
> >
> > If this is what you meant by "weak", then you are correct. The man liked
> > fine expensive "things", books, collectibles, etc. He was human, but he I
> > believe he HAD to have realized what he was doing in terms of financial
> > irresponsibility would impact whatever his feelings were about slavery.
> > Maybe he was waiting for that $1 million book deal? $5,000 per speaking
> > engagement? <smile>
> >
> > My best regards,
> >
> > Janet (Baugh) Hunter
> >
> > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
> > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
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