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The problem with Tom is that he said things like, “The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most ... unremitting despotism” while continuing to hold and profit from slaves. We cannot justify Jefferson by saying, "well, he was just a man of his times," for he spoke out against slavery more than any other Founder, and yet relied on slavery for his livelihood and comforts, all of his life. What gives? Historian Joyce Haworth will explore the ways in which Jefferson justified his slave-holding. His choices illustrate the conflicts embedded in early American society.

Coordinator: Joyce Haworth