“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal, hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man,” so reads an inscription on the Jefferson memorial. Jefferson was to assert in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” It was a good concept; yet here we are, still, with –well, still a lot of prejudice, bigotry, racism, sexism, and elitism.
On March 2, 1807, President Thomas Jefferson signed a law outlawing the importation of slaves after the close of the year. At the time, there were nearly a million slaves in the country; yet, by 1860 there would be four million slaves. The real human rights problem was what to do if you were already a slave? Jefferson himself inherited 30 slaves from his father in 1757, at age fourteen. At the height of Monticello, Jefferson was reported to have owned over 200 slaves. What is interesting is that in spite of his ideals, Jefferson either had insufficient opportunity or lacked the will to free his own slaves. Jefferson’s friend George Washington did free his slaves and encouraged Jefferson to do the same. However, Jefferson was never able to do it --with the slaves freed, the aristocratic life-style at Monticello would have come crashing down about him. Thus, the great disparity between ideals and reality.
The first slaves landed in Virginia in 1619, the last landed in 1807. The heritage of nearly every Black American presently living can be traced to that earliest period of American history. By reason of sheer longevity and prior claim, Black Americans have one of the greatest franchises on a place in America. Yet, the struggle for that “created equality” has been an ongoing story of progress and regression.
It is God who said, “Let the oppressed go free” (Isaiah 58:6). The roots of slavery are, in reality, contained in our prejudice, bigotry, racism, sexism, and elitism. While all men may be “created equal,” these ugly feelings keep us from being equal. The real key to unlocking the chains of tyranny is within each of our hearts. Maybe, things would go faster if we would turn our ideals into action by freeing our own special slaves. In our churches we sing, “Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother; and in His name, all oppression shall cease.” What cannot be done with laws can be done with the heart. It has been over 200 years since Jefferson wrote. What is now clear to us all is that, due to our own resistance, things do not change fast; but, with God’s help and love, they do change. Tom Jefferson had an idea --but, it’s taking it a long time to really catch on. Christians should set the example in all of this –when they don’t, it makes me sad. So very sad.