Journey Through Slavery Pt. 3 - Brotherly Love

Thomas Jefferson played a huge role in the journey through slavery. During the revolution he stated, "All men are created equal." Later it turned out that, that statement only applied to white men. Jefferson often preached one thing but practiced another. In 1793 he was Secretary of State and owner of over 130 humans. Jefferson gave us the Declaration of Independence but also the first to state in writing that blacks and whites can not live together as equals. In 1781, 5 years after he composed the Declaration of Independence, he wrote  notes on the state of Virginia. In the 7th Query he states, "their griefs are transient, their odor disagreeable..." Primary Source: http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/jefferson/jefferson.html

Although there were many against the blacks their were some supporters. For example, Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, had a reputation as a friend to the black community. He joined Richard Allen to raise funds for the African church. Later, shown, Rush believed that blacks were immune to Yellow fever and believed the blacks would be of service to him to help cure the whites. That did not work.






Some hope was given to slaves through actions by some men like Richard Allen, Benjamin Rush, but most importantly by a black Virginian slave named Gabriel. Gabriel stole a pig and was took to court outside of Virginia in 1799. Instead of taking the abuse and being told what to do he tackled the white man who called him and bit his ear. He was publicly humiliated and sent to jail.
When out of jail he organized to strike against those holding them in bondage. He made shovels into swords, molded bullets, and recruited men for soldiers of a rebel army.

Fugitive slaves and free men want the country to live up to the promises made in the Constitution, but certain things refuse that from happening. Eli Whitney invented the "Cotton Gin" which made the nation grow, but slavery grew as well. More slaves were needed to work the machines and slavery was moved westward. Primary Source: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=14