Adrian,

To the extent that Thomas Jefferson committed abuse against his slaves, he 
should be held just as accountable as any other man who abuses his fellow 
man. And, the first abuse was considering them and treating them as 
property. He bought them. He sold them. He used them. The extent of his 
abuse may not be as great as that of other slaveowners, but in his using 
them as property, he is as guilty of abuse as any other slaveowner of 
apologist for slavery.

If Jefferson was a convinced that owning human beings was wrong, he could 
have freed his slaves at many times during his life, or upon his death. 
Robert Carter III freed all of his hundreds of slaves at the same time as 
Jefferson was lapping up luxuries that would preclude his freeing his 
slaves. George Washington freed his slaves in his will. Other great men 
freed their slave - Jefferson was not among them.

Anne

Anne Pemberton
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http://www.erols.com/apembert
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org 

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