Founding Fathers And Slavery Essay

Were there slave owners who didn’t agree with slavery? Did they free their slaves? Anthony Iaccarino states in The Founding Fathers and Slavery “Although many of the Founding Fathers acknowledged that slavery violated the core American Revolutionary ideal of liberty, their simultaneous commitment to private property rights, principles of limited government, and intersectional harmony prevented them from making a bold move against slavery.” Meaning that many of the founding fathers who owned slaves believed that slavery was wrong and did not follow the constitutional ideas. They just didn't know how to end slavery with the resources they had or were limited to. Thomas Jefferson, along with many other Founding Fathers, was a slave owner, however he thought slavery was morally wrong and an injustice to African Americans. Thomas Jefferson wrote the famous line in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal...”. That means slaves should have been treated as equals because slaves are people,
In Ten Facts About Washington & Slavery it states, “Despite having been an active slave holder for 56 years, George Washington struggled with the institution of slavery and spoke frequently of his desire to end the practice. At the end of this life Washington made the bold step to free his slaves in his 1799 will - the only slaveholding Founding Father to do so.” He was the only founding father to free his slaves after speaking of how unethical slavery was. During his ownership of slaves he spoke of how he wanted to end slavery, although he owned slaves. As his life was coming to an end he decided to free his slaves. In the same article it states, “Washington wrote his will several months before his death in December 1799. In the document, Washington left directions for the eventual emancipation of his slaves after the passing of Martha Washington.” His slaves were freed after his wife