Slave vs, Slave owners - Essay Example

Their arguments illustrate Thomas Jefferson’s observation that the abolition of slaves exposed two overriding concerns: Justice is on one side and Self-preservation on the other.   I.     Arguments in favour of justice were put forward by various groups of slaves in their petitions in favour of slavery abolition. A.   The slaves felt that they were born with the divine right to live freely in this free country of God. Just like their other fellow human beings, they too had the natural right to freedom. 1.    “by divine permission are held in a state of Slavery within the bowels of a free and Christian Country” 2.

“have in common with all other men a natural right to … freedoms without being deprived of them by … fellow men” B.   Some petitions have expressed the slaves’ claim for freedom of religion by highlighting the fact that all humans, being the creations of the Almighty, must be treated equally and given the freedom to choose their own religion. 1.    “detained in a State of Slavery in the Bowels of a free & Christian Country” 2. . Arguments in favour of self-preservation were presented by the slave-owners who opposed the abolition. A.   Abolition raised the potential risk of proliferation of slave trade by the free Negroes. 1.    “many Evils have Arisen from a Partial emancipation of Slaves” 2.

“to prevent free Negroes or mulattoes trading with or For slaves” B.   Some slave owners even felt that the Act of the Legislature for a General Emancipation was “a flagrant Contempt of the constituent Powers of the Commonwealth” as well as “a daring attack on that sacred Constitution”. 1.    “a flagrant Contempt of the constituent Powers of the Commonwealth” 2. “a daring attack on that sacred Constitution” C.   However the issue that breathed through almost all such petitions was the irreparable damage caused to the economy and the perpetual loss of the country’s freedom and happiness. 1.    “Want, Poverty, Distress, and Ruin…Breach of public Faith and Loss of Credit” 2.

“final Ruin to this now flourishing free and happy Country” Conclusion Evaluation Rubric References Slaves Vs. Slave-owners Thomas Jefferson was a steady opponent of slavery throughout his political life. According to Jefferson, the rhetoric of justice and self-preservation dominated the arguments for and against abolition in the revolutionary and post-revolutionary period. The same is evident in the arguments of justice and self-preservation in the slave petitions for freedom and slave-owner petitions against manumission in the period 1773-1785.

Slaves who petitioned for their freedom during and after the American Revolution made three arguments in favour of their liberation: freedom of rights, freedom of religion and freedom of justice. The slave-owners in Virginia