Jurretta cited Jefferson's letter to Bancroft -- it's very frequently
quoted, but almost never quoted in full. It is interpreted as a
definitive statement of Jefferson's views on the impossibility of
emancipation, when the opposite is the case. Strange to say, the
derogatory passage Jurretta quoted is actually the preamble to an
emancipation plan:

"Notwithstanding the discouraging result of these [Quaker]
experiments, I am decided on my final return to America to try this
one. I shall endeavor to import as many Germans as I have grown
slaves. I will settle them and my slaves, on farms of 50. acres each,
intermingled, and place all on the footing of the Metayers
[sharecroppers] of Europe. Their children shall be brought up, as
others are, in habits of property and foresight, and I have no doubt
but that they will be good citizens."  So -- Jefferson clearly states
that black slaves will become good American citizens. Which half of
the letter conveys Jefferson's actual views?

In fact the Quaker experiment did not fail but succeeded so well that
it led to the passage of Virginia's liberal 1782 manumission law. In
the letter Jefferson said he had very imperfect information about the
Quaker experiment: "I cannot be particular in the details, because I
never had very particular information." Still, he repeated derogatory
rumors circulated by slaveholders who wished to nip this movement in
the bud.

Henry Wiencek

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