The quote ” all man are created equal” was written by Thomas Jefferson and it means all people have the same natural rights; regardless of sex, religion, or race. We all have the same rights, and none have more. Thomas Jefferson used this quote in the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Americans look at Thomas Jefferson and see one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence; a statesman, a former president and one of the founding fathers. However he was also a plantation owner who owned slaves. Slaves were vital to the plantation owner’s in the south’s economy at the time, so he owned many of them and even fathered children with them.
It just doesn’t make sense how a man who wrote that all men are created equal was owning slaves. Do you think that he thought about slave as human beings when he wrote this quote? How do you feel about it and what do you think that he could have done differently?
Nick07 • Oct 3, 2014 at 1:48 pm
Thomas Jefferson did state that all men are created equal. He might of been thinking men are born with equality but with society and human differences that equality could be broken. So slaves are born with natural rights to life and liberty but the world has competition. That’s why slaves didn’t go against his philosophy because they were born equally and due to social and economic differences their equality was broken. It doesn’t make it right that one of our Founding Fathers was so harsh to other humans and made them his slaves, just because of ethnicity. This makes you question if the government is corrupted and unsafe. Even American founding fathers who are seen as heroes have a part of their humanity that is corrupt. We say we believe in these great American ideals but we need to question the reality.
chino967 • Oct 3, 2014 at 1:10 pm
I agree that it is hypocritical for him to own slaves. I do understand that he had to feed his family and his plantation was his way of doing so. At the end of the day he had to do what he needed to make a living and raise his family, and you cant blame him for that. The fact that he spoke out for their rights in a society that depended on slaves is impressive.
ladybug09 • Oct 3, 2014 at 12:45 pm
I don’t think Thomas Jefferson thought about slaves while writing this, because slaves are still condsidered human beings, so that doesn’t make sense. I also do not get why he said “all men are created equal” when he owned slaves…