How do you look at from a philosophical point of view at
previous generations? That were that seem to be so
enlightened yet? So unable to apply their own
principles. Consistently.
The biggest example is Thomas Jefferson writing about men
being created equal endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights. Meanwhile, having a slave owner,
George Washington leading, a tax revolt, and then engaging in the
whiskey collection tax or Christopher.
Is how do you as a philosopher try to think about what were
they just evil opportunist? Or were they really good people
who were just unable to apply their own principles
consistently because they didn't have access to DuckDuckGo.
Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm Gonna Leave, Christopher Columbus off
to the side because everybody's really pissed at him right now.
It was Columbus Day, a couple of days, maybe a week ago.
So I think it profits us. Nothing at all to talk about
him. Talking about Jefferson's a
great example. I think.
Yeah, I think Jefferson's best example actually because he in
the Declaration, he wrote the sentence that changed history.
He wrote the most powerful sentence ever written.
That's a hell of a thing to say about somebody, we hold these
truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.
Yeah, every single revolutionary movement from Jefferson's time
to the present has latched onto that sentence.
Think about that for a second. I'm talking about communist
revolutions gender revolutions. No matter how you want to frame
it up. There's Jefferson standing right
in the middle of all of it. And yet we know for a fact That
he did not free his own slaves and that is an indictment.
There's no question. That's an indictment, but I want
to make this a little more complicated because in one of
Jefferson's letters. He said, slavery in our midst,
is like having a wolf by the ears in the forest.
What do you do? Do you take your hands off the
wolf? Because if you do he'll devour
you or do you keep on holding the wolf?
Because if you do, you'll get tired, you'll let him go and he
will devour you. And that was what Jefferson
thought slavery would yield here?
I get that. That's actually a sensible thing
to believe. Had I been a Slave.
I don't think I could have Let It Go.
I don't think I could have made peace with it.
The way that many if not most slaves did.
It's astonishing to me when I see human beings and their
capacity to forgive, I think about Nelson Mandela in South
Africa, right? The Truth and Reconciliation
Commission where people come and say I did this, they tell the
truth and then they're allowed to leave Guam with their lives.
So Jefferson Constitution. There is a sunset Clause
Congress could legislate, the could not legislate against
slavery until a certain point in time.
Well that certain point point in time turned out to overlap with
Thomas Jefferson's presidency. And on the day, they were able
constitutionally to legislate against slavery.
They did and it hit Thomas Jefferson's Destiny sighted.
That was his goal. He signed the first piece of
anti-slavery legislation that went through the United States,
Congress. We don't remember that about
him. We don't remember that.
He thought it was a losing bet, no matter what, we just blame
him for getting it wrong. On a very meaningful level.
I can forgive him that to a point.
I guess. Maybe you don't forgive it.
You don't overlook it, but you strive to understand it.
And I understand where he was coming from.
There was no way. At a certain point in our
history to even think about freeing all the slaves.
There's just no way it would have cost us what was known as
the unanimous Declaration of Independence, right?
It would have been probably two, maybe three countries instead of
one. And if you ended up there with
slavery ever have been outlawed. Well, it would have taken a lot
longer, and even as it went, it took us a Civil War, the price
we paid in blood for our original sin.
What more can you say about this is?
Just what it was. It was the price we paid in
blood for our original sin. Now.
Niall Ferguson says that yes, there was slavery.
There was terrible. There was Native American mass
murders, very frequently. All of these terrible negative
things that are said about America and the West are the
least original things about the West.
So are we really bringing something to the table to say?
Oh, they were a bunch of racist slave owners.
It's like, okay, everyone. Throughout all of humanity was,
here's where they improved where, I mean, it's hard to
stand on the shoulders of giants when there's not that many
around to stand on. Well, to answer that question in
the most direct way, the way I answer it in the way, answer to
America's harshest critics, who tend to be Americans.
This is what, this is what I have to say to them.
Maybe it'll work for you as well.
I don't know, but the Did states did not invent slavery.
Slavery is actually Mankind's. De facto position we have had
slavery from as far back. As we have records the very
first law code that we have actually it's a little scrap of
a larger law code. What is it about?
How you have to treat your slaves?
So as far as the laws of Nations and times and places all the
laws go they all somehow dealt with slavery.
Now American American slavery was different.
It was chattel slavery. Greek slavery would have been
who conquered, who in the last war.
Right? So you could literally be in at,
in Greece, a princess one day and a slave the next given how
the battle went. So it's not the same animal,
right? But that's interesting to, we've
got all kinds of different slavery.
And okay, fine. Here.
We have the United States with slavery at the founding of
founding dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal. That's really bad.
And yet four score and seven years later it was over with.
Think about that. It's the natural fallback
position of the human race for thousands of years.
America, is founded and four score, and seven years later.
It's over. Amazing England, beat us to the
punch by a little bit. So they had done away with
slavery before we did. By the time in England and the
United States do away with it. It's really not safe anywhere.
Where do you find it? Now?
Not the Western World. You don't certainly certainly,
certainly not the institutionalized recognition of
slavery. Of course, there are
kidnappings. There are slave Farms, which I'm
familiar with those, but about the institutionalized
recognition. I remember Camille Foster was on
a panel and there were like, you know, we have to, you know,
recognize America's past with slavery, and he goes, yeah, it's
not really fair to pin slavery on America.
Considering it's about as old as writing and that was just such a
funny way to put it because it's like, yeah, it's like saying,
you know, that Asian steel? Like yes, Asian steel.
But so do whites and blacks and Mexicans.
Why are you just pinning? It on that?
That's just you being intentionally divisive in an
unproductive way. Yeah, but but Asian steel, you
know, you're not bringing anything to the table with.
That's literally, like saying Americans have slaves or America
was racist. Or is racist or institutional
all this nonsense. So, rather fashionable, right?
You know, I meet young people, 14, 15, 16 years old.
I meet them often. And they legitimately think that
the Americans invented the institution of slavery, the
former vice presidential candidate.
Tim Kaine said, when we came to America in Virginia, we brought
over slaves. We didn't inherit slavery.
We invented it. That was Tim Kaine, the former
Vice. Presidential candidate to
Hillary Clinton. So, yeah, I I don't know if I
thought that but I would have been curious to ask be curious
to ask myself in middle school, you know, but you know what?
When did slavery start about 1700s?
I think I would have said. And that's yeah, that's just
incredible. Not because they ever said this
is when it started, it says the thing about America is slavery
and Native American mass murder. It's like what you're implying.
Lying is the unique thing is this?
When as Niall Ferguson correctly says, it's the least unique
thing. Yeah, I think that's exactly
right. And whenever you whenever you
witness base human behavior, you should understand it for what it
is. It's part of human nature and
you see it in one place. You're probably going to see it
in almost every place because human nature is that kind of
thing that it's very difficult to overcome it.
Now. I think we have a number of Ways
throughout human history and when we do, it's to be
celebrated. It's a big deal.
For example, that the United States one day.
I woke up and said we can't do this anymore.
Now, they had a war to sort it out the bloodiest war in human
history until it until it's time.
But look at what had to happen to even have that to have
worried about it yet. Have enough people saying, all
right, it's worth are looking into this and it's worth are
fighting for it. And we really paid a hell of a
price for that. Certainly, the abolitionists
risking their lives. No, not exactly the most popular
thing to talk to people now about holding the wolf by the
ears deciding whether or not to let it go.
What I think of now this might be a whole nother discussion,
but the research I've done and I make the case for this in a
video titled, why they hate us intentionally provocative that,
if you look at the writings of a Of jihadis, the reason they want
to more, or less wage war against the West, is because
since the early 90s, there were terrible sanctions on Iraq, that
killed a large number of civilians.
They then were motivated Bin Laden's 1998, five trois between
that and the alliance with Israel that killed a number of
Muslims that. Well.
This is why we're Waging War against the US so people that
justify a lot of civilians getting killed.
And in the war on terror and not getting much about it, except
more terrorists, that are created.
It's hard to say. Well, yep.
Let's bring them all home. Well, we've pissed off a lot of
people over there. So I mean the fact that today
people justify war and mass murder should make you a little
less uppity about judging Thomas.
Jefferson when, you know, he was at a time where there was still
this conference. Hello everyone.
How are you? Please pull out your Declaration
of Independence. There are some things here.
I think maybe we should talk about that.
So what's the underlying thought?
What's that main thought that goes through this thing and you
know sooner or later somebody's going to say that all men are
equal and that somehow we attach governance to this now.
Say yes, that's exactly right pumpkin.
Good for you. What about the rest of all the
words in here? Why on Earth were were these?
Indictments against King, George separated, right?
After the first two paragraphs, which set it up.
Theoretically, why then do they jump into a laundry list of
complaints against a king that you you probably know nothing
about and then I get dead silence, a dead silence.
And so okay. Maybe we should go back to the
beginning scene. That's the part that everybody's
interested in. How do we get to the point where
we take a slave owners? Seriously when he says, all men
are created equal. That seems a little odd, doesn't
it? And you know people are going to
answer that question in a very typical way and they're going to
tell me what a gruesome Beast Jefferson was at which point
I'll agree with them as well. That's probably right.
But here's what gets really interesting because if you look
at those indictments against the king they go from least serious
to most serious. There's a rank order in that
list and you probably don't know this But Jefferson wrote the
rough draft of the Declaration. It was a piece of committee
work. It was Jefferson and Ben
Franklin and bunch of other guys.
Roger Livingston. There were five of them in any
rate and they decided that Thomas Jefferson then 33 years
old for crying out loud. Should go write the first draft
which he did. But on Jefferson's first draft,
there's a difference of critical difference.
There was a deleted indictment against King George at the very
end of the list, which means it was most important.
And that, delete that deleted indictment, blamed, the
institution of slavery in America, on the king.
And said in no uncertain terms, that slavery was an Abomination.
So here we have a slave owner writing.
A declaration of independence to be given to a King who used the
final slot. The slot for the most terrible,
indictment, against the king. He took his argument there.
So what was he a hypocrite? Yeah, probably.
Was he a genius? Yep, that too.
Did he really? Think that slavery was a
positive good. Clearly he didn't and that's
where we're left. That's where our shared inquiry
begins. We don't end there, we start
there and from here we have to read Jefferson rather.
Charitably. We have to understand the
context in which the Declaration was written and we have to
understand what came next and why.
And when you can get there, Then we'll have some knowledge until
then we do not. From history.com why Thomas
Jefferson's anti-slavery passage was removed from the Declaration
of Independence. This is referring to a 168 word
passage that condemn slavery. As one of the many evils foisted
upon the colonies by the British crown.
What the deleted passage said in his initial draft Jefferson,
blamed, Britain's King George for his role in creating and
perpetuating the transatlantic slave trade.
Which he describes in so many words as a crime against
humanity. He has waged cruel war.
Against human nature itself of violating.
Its most sacred rights to life and Liberty in the person's of a
distant people who never offended him captivating and
carrying them into slavery in another Hemisphere or to incur
miserable death, in their transportation scissor.
Jefferson went on to call the institution of slavery.
Piratical Warfare execrable Commerce and an assemblage of
Horrors. He then criticized the crown for
exciting. Those very people to rise in our
arms against us and to purchase that Liberty of, which he has
deprived them by murdering the people on whom.
He also obtruded them. He thus paying off former
crimes, committed against the Liberties of one people with the
crimes. Which he urges them to commit
against the lives of another. This passage refers to a 1775
Proclamation by Burton's Lord Dunmore which offered freedom to
any enslaved person in the American colonies who
volunteered to serve in the British Army against the
Patriots. Revolt the proclamation inspired
thousands of enslaved people to seek Liberty behind British
lines during the Revolutionary War.
Why was the dick declarations? Anti-slavery passage removed.
The exact circumstances of the passages removal may never be
known the storico. Her doesn't include details of
the debates. Undertaken, by the Second
Continental Congress. What is known, is that the 33
year old Jefferson who composed the Declaration between June
11th and June 28, 1776. Sent a rough draft to members of
the crew select committee, including John Adams, and
Benjamin Franklin. Also, the founder of the
Pennsylvania abolitionist Society for edits ahead of its
presentation to Congress. Between July 1st and July 3rd,
Congressional delegates, debated the document, during which time,
they excised. Jefferson's anti-slavery clause.
The removal was mostly fueled by political and economic
expedience ease while the 13 colonies were already.
Deeply divided on the issue of slavery, both South and North
had Financial stakes. In perpetuating it Southern
plantations, a key engine of the Colonial economy needed, free
labor to produce tobacco cotton and other cash crops for export
back to Europe. It's not free labor.
It still costs a lot. To house clothes and feed.
So the problem is the enslavement not the free part
Northern shipping. Merchants who also played a role
in that economy. Remained dependent on the
Triangle Trade between Europe Africa, and the Americas that
included the traffic in enslaved Africans.
Decades later in his autobiography, Jefferson
primarily blamed to Southern States for the Clauses removal.
While acknowledging the North's role as well.
The claws reprobated, the enslaving the inhabitants of
Africa was struck out in compliance to South Carolina and
Georgia. Who had never attempted to
restrain the importation of slaves and who on the contrary
still wish to continue it. Our northern brother.
Aaron also, I believe felt a little tender under these
sensors for though, their people have very few slaves themselves
yet. They had been pretty
considerable carriers of them to others.
Jefferson's anti-slavery actions, you know that.
Nobody wishes more ardently to see an abolition, not only of
the trade, but of the condition of slavery and certainly, nobody
will be more willing to encounter every sacrifice for
that object. Thomas Jefferson to brusett,
Dewar, Ville, February 11th, 1788 early in his public, life.
Jefferson was one of the first Statesman anywhere to take
action to end slavery in 1778. He introduced.
Virginia law prohibiting the importation of enslaved.
Africans in 1784. He proposed a ban on slavery in
Northwest Territory new lands ceded by the British in 1783 in
notes on the state of Virginia published in 1785.
He proposed a plan of gradual emancipation, but after 1785
still holding his belief in the Injustice of slavery.
He was publicly Island. The ACT prohibiting the
importation of slaves of 1807 is a United States federal law that
provided No, New Slaves, were permitted to be imported into
the United States. It took effect on January 1st,
1808, the earliest date permitted by the United States
Constitution. This legislation promoted by
President, Thomas Jefferson who called for its enactment in his
1806, State of the Union Address.
He had promoted the idea since the 1770s it reflected.
The force of the general Trend towards abolishing the
international slave trade, which Virginia followed by all the
other states had prohibited or restricted since then South
Carolina. However had reopened its trade
Congress, first regulated against the trade in the slave
trade Act of 1794. The 1794 act ended the legality
of American ships participating in the trade, the 1807, law did
not change that. It made all In from above broad,
even on foreign ships a federal crime.
The British Parliament had passed the comparable abolition
of the slave trade act on February 23rd. 1807, achieving
Royal assent on March 25th, 1807.
The domestic slave trade within the US was not affected by the
1807 law. Indeed with the illegal supply
of imported slaves, terminated the domestic trade increased in
importance, in addition, some smuggling.
Of slaves. Persisted Here is the Thomas
Jefferson State of the Union Address December 2nd 1806.
I congratulate you fellow citizens on the approach of the
period at which you may interpose your authority
constitutionally to withdraw, the citizens of the United
States from all further, participation, in those
violations of human rights, which have so long continued on
the unoffending inhabitants of Eka and which the morality the
reputation and the best interests of our country have
long been eager to prescribe.