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Dr. D. Elisabeth GlasscoonMastodon3d ago
Although Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal,” he could believe there was no contradiction because he had already narrowed who counted as “men.” In Notes on the State of Virginia, he cast Black people as inferior in body, mind, beauty, reason, and imagination—outside the circle of equality. He was not alone among the Founders.
Image: Jefferson and Shannon LaNier,, his 6th great grandson. Artists: Rembrandt Peale (Jefferson) and Drew Gardner (LaNier).
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/american-descendants-180975155/
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Analysis Summary
Jefferson wrote 'all men are created equal' while explicitly describing Black people as inferior in his published writings—a contradiction he resolved by simply excluding them from 'men.' This hypocrisy was common among the Founders, though Jefferson published his racist ideology more directly than most. The Smithsonian's feature on Jefferson descendants underscores how this legacy persists: modern descendants are still working through the meaning of equality in a nation built on slavery and Enlightenment rhetoric that was never meant to include everyone.
Claims Analysis (4)
“Jefferson wrote 'all men are created equal' in the Declaration of Independence.”
Exact quote from Declaration of Independence (1776). One of the most documented statements in American history.
“In Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson cast Black people as inferior in body, mind, beauty, reason, and imagination.”
Jefferson's racist passages in Notes on the State of Virginia (published 1785) are extensively documented and quoted in historical scholarship. This is one of the most studied examples of Jefferson's explicit racism.
“Jefferson's contradictory beliefs on equality and racial hierarchy were not unique among the Founders.”
Well-established historical consensus: many Founders held enslaved people while writing about equality. However, the degree and explicitness of racism varied—some Founders avoided publishing racist ideology as openly as Jefferson did.
“Shannon LaNier is Jefferson's 6th great grandson.”
Smithsonian article confirms the genealogical relationship and includes image of both men as noted in the post.
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