After the War of 1812 Congress purchased TJ's personal library at highly inflated prices. Today there would have been a special prosecutor investigation for such a purchase, at those prices, which were far above what a bookseller in London or even Boston might have charged. But, the purchase did give TJ enough money to get out of debt, and then, had he lived within his considerable means, he could have died out of debt and had he been interested, freed his slaves. But, TJ used almost all the money from Congress to buy more books. Had he wanted to free his slaves, he would have been able to do so, but it would have required some planning and self-control. Throughout his life TJ spent money on everything he wanted. Again, with an apology, I quote from my own book: "Jefferson was compulsively acquisitive. This behavior violated republican principles, but Jefferson seemed incapable of resisting the temptation to acquire things. As Herbert Sloan has observed, Jefferson was "never able to refuse himself the things he wanted and thought he deserved, even at the cost of running up substantial debts." Slavery and the wealth it produced fostered this behavior. Without his slaves Jefferson could not have purchased his wine, his paintings, and his furniture or built Monticello to house everything. Garry Wills points out that while in France "Jefferson went on a buying spree" that "was staggering in its intensity. At times it must have looked as if he meant to take much of Paris back with him to his mountain 'château.'" When he left France, he shipped eighty-six large crates back to the United States. His treasures included "sixty-three oil paintings, seven busts by Houdon, forty-eight formal chairs, Sèvres table sculptures of biscuit, damask hangings, four full-length mirrors in gilt frames, four marble-topped tables, 120 porcelain plates, and numberless items of personal luxury." While in France and shortly after his return Jefferson sold at least eighty-five slaves to pay his debts, but he never considered cutting back on his luxurious life-style. "Self-preservation" for Jefferson was at least in part economic. He was dependent on slaves and he might not have liked it, but he did not dislike it enough to do anything about it. Along the same lines, Jefferson may have seen support for slavery as a necessary component of his political self-preservation. As John Chester Miller observed, Jefferson always believed he had to "choose between the preservation of his political 'usefulness' and active opposition to slavery." This conclusion of course assumes that Jefferson wanted to oppose slavery. Other successful Virginia politicians took more public stands against slavery. James Wood managed to serve as governor of Virginia as well as a vice-president of the Virginia Abolition Society. Judge St. George Tucker proposed a gradual abolition scheme, while Governor Beverley Randolph praised the Pennsylvania abolition society. Moreover, Miller's analysis does not explain Jefferson's refusal to take a stand against slavery after he left public office in 1809." -- Paul Finkelman Chapman Distinguished Professor University of Tulsa College of Law 3120 East Fourth Place Tulsa, OK 74104 918-631-3706 Fax 918-631-2194 E-mail: [log in to unmask] "Lonny J. Watro" wrote: > As I understand it, (and I'm no authority on the subject) Jefferson was in > financial ruin at the end of his life. Partly, I believe, due to his friend, > Wilson Cary Nicholas, who not only over extended Jefferson's credit, but > WCN's younger brother's, Lewis Nicholas's, credit as well. See _The Nicholas > Family of Virginia 1722-1820_, Victor Denise Golladay, University of > Virginia, Ph.D., 1973. > > Could the business speculation that TJ became involved in with Wilson Cary > Nicholas be one of the reasons that he did not free his slaves, but sent > them to the auction block to save himself and his Montecello? Lewis Nicholas > of Albemarle lost his 2000 acre Berry Hill plantation on Green Mountain in > Albemarle, and died intestate -- possibly at the home of his son, John H. > Nicholas of Albemarle. Wilson Cary Nicholas passed hugh debts onto his > heirs. Did TJ suffer the same fate? I don't know the answer, I'm just > speculating the reason why he autioned his slaves. > > Lonny J. Watro > > You wrote: > > . Jefferson fails the test. > > When Jefferson wrote the Declaration he owned over 175 slaves. While > many of > > his contemporaries freed their slaves during and after the Revolution, > Jefferson > > did not. In the fifty years from 1776 until his death in 1826, a period > of > > extraordinary public service, he did little to end slavery or to > dissociate himself > > from his role as the master of Monticello. To the contrary, as he > accumulated more > > slaves he worked assiduously to increase the productivity and the property > values > > of his labor force. Nor did he encourage his countrymen to liberate their > slaves, > > even when they sought his blessing. Even at his death Jefferson failed to > fulfill > > the promise of his rhetoric. In his will he emancipated only five > bondsmen, > > condemning nearly 200 others to the auction block." > > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html