'Slaves loved their masters': GOP women's club president defends lawmaker's pro-slavery comments

[Demsrule86]

31. My Sister said I had it wrong...she said it was an in law...possibly daughter in law.

I have heard it for years...I come from Albemarle County...my Mom's family was there since the 1600s. When Dad was in the Navy that is where we lived off and on during my childhood...I heard the story for years. My sister can't remember the details either...But she swears it was an inlaw or a relative...I have no idea what the truth is as I said before. Jefferson did outlaw the slave trade which was great, but, he was a man of his times and no hero with how his own slaves were treated. In fact, he sold slaves to get out of debt countless times after the revolution.

And of course, people romanticize the Hemmings/Jefferson relationship. But she was a child when it began. I find his conduct less than honorable even for his own time. I understand we can't judge those who came before us using today's standards, but I wonder if men like Jefferson had held their ground and stamped slavery out at the birth of this nation, what would it look like today?

Jefferson was interested in modern methods to manage slaves and new types of labor to support his plantation...he wrote extensively on it. Below is the tale of one of these endeavors...I found it at the Smithsonian. I just find him to be a hypocrite on this issue. He lambasted cruel overseers but wanted his own rebellious slaves punished with the whip...I posted the link. It is an interesting read...a subject not taught in school not even at my college.

'Planting wheat required fewer workers than tobacco, leaving a pool of field laborers available for specialized training. Jefferson embarked on a comprehensive program to modernize slavery, diversify it and industrialize it. Monticello would have a nail factory, a textile factory, a short-lived tinsmithing operation, coopering and, charcoal burning. He had ambitious plans for a flour mill and a canal to provide water power for it.

Training for this new organization began in childhood. Jefferson sketched out a plan in his Farm Book: “children till 10. years old to serve as nurses. from 10. to 16. the boys make nails, the girls spin. at 16. go into the ground or learn trades.” I should add that food rations were determined by your status when you were a slave...so the nail boys got extra rations while others did not.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-dark-side-of-thomas-jefferson-35976004/