The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 9, Number 1, Summer (June) 2020 | Page 24

Slavery in New York: Through the Lens of
John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and George
Washington were among the multitude
of founders and statesmen who indicated
a distaste—if not outright aversion—
to slavery. 8 These men were unable to
translate this aversion to any political or
social action against slavery, although
there were a number of weak attempts
made to initiate emancipation legislation.
For example, in 1789, Benjamin
Franklin composed and published numerous
essays in support of abolishing
slavery. Franklin’s final public act was to
send a petition to Congress on behalf
of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting
the Abolition of Slavery, which
called for the for the abolition of slavery
and an end to the slave trade. The petition,
which was signed on February 3,
1790, asked the first Congress to “devise
means for removing the Inconsistency
from the Character of the American
People” and to “promote mercy and justice
toward this distressed Race.” 9
General public perception of
the black community in the eighteenth
century was negative and unfavorable.
Blacks were viewed, almost consistently,
as intellectually and morally inferior,
lustful, lazy, and prone to violent
tendencies. 10 Concerning their physical
inferiority, blacks were described
by Thomas Jefferson as “aesthetically
inferior ... they can’t blush, and they
themselves prefer white features ... as
uniformly as ... the preference of the
Orangootan for the black women over
those of his own species.” 11 This general
characterization echoes the sentiment of
Jefferson’s fellow citizens. Blacks were
viewed as innately intellectually, physically,
and morally inferior.
9