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Stumpage Reports
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Monday, February 24, 2003 :::
Fun With Slavery Part 1
This semester at school has been pretty blah, since the excitement of passing my oral exams I haven't been very pumped up about any of my classes. I've been plagued by migraines for a good month now which has played hell with my already screwed up sleep schedule. I'd rather stress out about finding a job and moving than think about class.
But a small spark was lit tonight. I have to do a major research paper for my Constitutional History class. I wanted to do something on the slavery debates during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. I let my professor talk me into doing something on the Constitution as an anti-slavery document. (Its usually viewed as a pro or indifferent to slavery document.) I floundered around with that for a couple weeks and didn't have much luck. I went back to my professor and told him I'm not so much interested in the rabid pro and anti-slavery guys, but the guys like Jefferson and George Mason who had slaves, but knew it was wrong and constantly struggled with it. So my working title is now "A Pithy Quote I've Yet To Find: Jefferson, Mason, Madison and the Morality of Slavery." I don't know why it took me so long to get to that topic, the paradox of American slavery and American freedom is something I'm fascinated with and could study for the rest of my life.
So tonight I've been happily marshalling my sources. I've been up to ears in books like American Slavery, American Freedom: the Ordeal of Colonial Virginia, A Necessary Evil? Slavery and the Debate Over the Constitution, and Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson.
Tomorrow will find me in the school library poring through the published letters of Jefferson and Madison. I love doing this shit and that's why I'm in school.
One thing that kills me is when after the revolution and these guys had to deal with some uppity slaves, they knew damn well where the slaves got these radical ideas about freedom and liberty. I ran across a great quote from James Madison. He was writing about an escaped slave he had located and was saying it was more trouble than it was worth to get the slave back. So I'll wrap this up and give you the...
Quote of the Day:
I have judged it most prudent not to force Billey back to Virginia even if it could be done. I am persuaded his mind is too thoroughly tainted to be a fit companion for fellow slaves in Virginia. I do not expect to get near the worth of him; but cannot think of punishing him by transportation merely for coveting that liberty for which we have paid the price of so much blood, and have proclaimed so often to be the right, & worthy the pursuit, of every human being.
--- James Madison to his father, September 8, 1783
::: posted by tom at 9:44 PM
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