Jurretta --
There is evidence that Jefferson's plan was more than an impulsive
burst of idealism. It comes up in other correspondence and he
discussed it with his secretary, William Short, and with Thomas Paine,
both of whom took the plan seriously. When President Jefferson
purchased Louisiana some two decades later, Paine wrote to Jefferson
begging him not to admit slavery in the Territory, reminding Jefferson
of his Bancroft plan, and suggesting that Louisiana offered the
perfect opportunity to put the Bancroft plan into action--send slaves
there on something like an indentured basis, train them, and free
them.

Henry Wiencek

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html