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how well do Jefferson personal beliefs about enslaved black people line up with the bus language in the constitution that “ All men are created equal”

User Thou Maker
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14 votes
14 votes

Answer:

Thomas Jefferson's personal beliefs about enslaved black people did not align with the language in the Declaration of Independence (keywords), which states that "all men are created equal."

Jefferson owned hundreds of enslaved people throughout his life and profited from their labor. He also held deeply racist views about black people, believing that they were inferior to white people in intelligence and moral capacity.

In contrast, the language in the Declaration of Independence asserts that all people are created equal and have the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This idea is central to the founding principles of the United States and has been used to justify the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, and other efforts to extend equal rights and opportunities to all people.

However, it is important to note that the Declaration of Independence was written at a time when many of its authors, including Jefferson, owned enslaved people and did not extend these principles of equality to them. It was not until many years later, with the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement, that these principles were more fully realized in the United States.

User Amari
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