While we can praise some actions by Jefferson, such as working to end the importation of slaves, Jefferson’s private actions as a slave owner and one engaged in the buying and selling of human beings must be taken into account. Jefferson was not without options, nor was he merely constrained by “geography and circumstances,” as Barton claims.[329] He was a lifelong and active participant in the buying and selling of human beings. Those private actions are greatly inconsistent with Barton’s claim that Jefferson was “a bold, staunch, and consistent advocate and defender of emancipation and
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