Thomas Jefferson, Slaveholder

In 2012, an interesting article appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine, revisiting the perception of Thomas Jefferson as a benign slave master.  Although Jefferson proposed an end of the slave trade, equality and eventual emancipation, and accomplished the end of the U.S. slave trade in 1808 as president, his lofty words slowed down or stopped after he calculated his 4% annual profit on slave births and his healthy profit making nails with a workforce of slave boys aged 10 to 16.  The boys were whipped if necessary to keep production up, as were some of his adult slaves for running away or other behaviors.

Jefferson was mighty proud of his nail factory.  Slavery produced nails, starting before first light every day.  His biggest competitor in the nail business?  The state penitentiary.

The comparisons between prison and slavery are many.

 

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