We need more statues to Jefferson, not less

Eric Brakey writes at The Mises Institute, “Our public statues should remember those who made contributions of universal value. That is why Levy commissioned statues to the Father of the Declaration of Independence. Not only did Jefferson author our country’s mission statement—‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’—he devoted his life to advancing that mission through every institution of American life, including religious freedom, universal education, and the abolition of slavery.

We Need More Statues to Jefferson, Not Less | @Mises ⁦@SenatorBrakey⁩ https://t.co/6sNNjtAmdR

— WH Paul (@TastyBrew1776) December 9, 2021

Born into a wealthy slave-owning family, Jefferson was a slave owner. This much his critics have right. Focusing on this fact in isolation, however, is ‘ahistorical’ and ‘ripped out of context,’ says Kevin Gutzman, Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University and author of Thomas Jefferson: Revolutionary, in a recent conversation I had with him.

Gutzman notes that ‘slavery once was a universal institution,’ crediting leading founders for deciding, ‘at a given point in the history of the world, this needs to go—we need to get rid of it.’ They did not have the power to overturn the system all at once, but ‘having been born into a world in which [slavery] was a very important part of life, they left a world in which it was doomed and going to end.’

Among this generation, Jefferson stands out in his lifelong pursuit of abolition.”

Read the entire column.