Thomas Jefferson and the Fight against Slavery

In this groundbreaking work, Cara Rogers Stevens examines the fascinating life of Thomas Jeffersons book, Notes on the State of Virginia, from its innocuous composition in the early 1780s to its use as a political weapon by both pro- and antislavery forces in the early nineteenth century. Initially written as a brief statistical introduction to Virginia for French readers, Jeffersons book evolved to become his comprehensive statement on almost all facets of the state's natural and political realms. As part of an antislavery education strategy, Jefferson also decided to include a treatise on the nature of racial difference, as well as a manifesto on the corrupting power of slavery in a republic and a plan for emancipation and colonization. In consequence, his bookfor better or worsedefined the boundaries of future debates over the place of African-descended people in American society.Although historians have rightly criticized Jefferson for his racism and failure to free his own slaves, his antislavery intentions for the Notes have received only cursory notice, partly because the original manuscript was not available for detailed examination until recently.By analyzing Jeffersons complex revision process, Thomas Jefferson and the Fight against Slavery traces the evolution of Jeffersons views on race and slavery as he considered how best to persuade younger slaveholders to embrace emancipation. Rogers Stevens then moves beyond Jefferson to examine contemporary responses to the Notes from white and black intellectuals and politicians, concluding with an attempt by Jeffersons grandson to implement elements of the Notess emancipation plan during Virginias 18311832 slavery debates.