In 1808, a slave wrote to Jefferson arguing for him to end slavery using Jefferson's own arguments

[basquebromance]

i know how to find cool stuff!

"A Mere Monopoly of Men:" A Slave Writes to Thomas Jefferson

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

i know how to find cool stuff!

"A Mere Monopoly of Men:" A Slave Writes to Thomas Jefferson

Yes you do, thank you.

 

[fncceo]

And it only took 55 years for it to work.

 

[whitehall]

How could a slave have petitioned the President of the United States? It's more interesting to note that Jefferson and his earlier nemesis John Adams died on the same day, the Fourth of July.

 

[Unkotare]

A lot of people don’t know the rest of that story. Jefferson was so impressed by the slave’s erudition that he invited him to the White House —————

—————and had sex with him...

 

[Picaro]

an anonymous slave boldly demanded that the Chief Executive lend his voice to the cause of abolition. It is not known whether the author was a former or current slave; nor do we know the author’s gender.

Fake news from 1808. Most likely a political opponent attempt to bait him. Jefferson was completely happy with slavery; it was his main business, breeding and selling them.

It's hilarious how modern people read old letters from these politicians and think they really ran around discussion philosophy and actually believed the stuff they wrote about it.

Hate to break this to you all but these guys burned most of the letters than mattered and had what they REALLY thought about anything written in them, and most of those letters that survive were those intended to be read publicly; letters to close friends tend to be a lot less grandiose and more personal. They wrote letters to friends and foes alike, to newspapers, to churches, to labor uinons, to governors, etc., etc., etc. Took Jefferson over a week to burn his.