The paradox of freedom: justifying slavery and the construction of race

This project explores the complexity surrounding the formation of racist ideas alongside ideas of freedom in the late eighteenth-century United States. The goal of this research is to determine and analyze how the institution of slavery was able to flourish among ideas of liberty and equality presented in the Declaration of Independence. Using historical analysis alongside the theoretical concept of “racial formation,” this thesis raises a number of significant questions. If, as Jefferson wrote, “all men are created equal,” why could some be enslaved but not others? How did white American leaders continue to justify slavery when their philosophical and theoretical concepts were being challenged? Why and how were they so persistent in maintaining their own freedom while oppressing people of African descent? To answer this question, this project looks specifically at Thomas Jefferson and his role in the formation of race. His writings, including, versions of the Declaration of Independence and Notes on the State of Virginia were utilized to gain a better understanding of Jefferson’s beliefs and philosophies about race. This thesis finds that Jefferson utilized his writings to illustrate distinct differences between Black and White people, and in doing so contributed to the formation of ideas defining race. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to be examined closer at due to his hypocritical relationship with Sally Hemings, an enslaved African American woman. This seemingly contradictory relationship serves to exemplify of the paradox of freedom and race and the intricacies surrounding the topic.