Whitewashing Jefferson, Part One

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Why did Thomas Nelson pull David Barton's book The Jefferson Lies from publication in 2012? Last week, we started to answer that question. This week we continue to provide specific illustrations of the historical errors which triggered that unprecedented move by Thomas Nelson.

In this episode, we focus on the errors regarding race and slavery. We spend a significant amount of time demonstrating how David Barton deliberately omitted parts of the 1782 Virginia law on manumission. We submit he did this to whitewash Jefferson's record and actions as an enslaver of human beings. Even if this whitewashing was not intentionally racist, the obstruction of the record regarding racism, according to our guests, conspires with people who are racist to maintain a societal environment where racism endures. 

In this episode, hosts Michael Coulter and Warren Throckmorton are joined by historian and author Jemar Tisby, historian Troy Jackson, attorney and theologian Joel McDurmon, historian Gregg Frazer, and pastor and social worker Joel Bowman to reflect on the whitewashing of Jefferson. We also hear from pastor Ray McMillian who asks a critical question: Can we eradicate racism if we have racists as heroes?

SHOW NOTES:

Michael Nicholls Manumission Page
https://libguides.usu.edu/virginia-manumissions

Robert Carter Appreciation Day, August 1.
https://wthrockmorton.com/2012/08/01/august-1-robert-carter-appreciation-day/

Theme Song is The World Awaits Us All by Roman Candle

Closing Song is Ain't It a Shame to Work on Sunday by the Jubilee Quartet

Background music is provided by Jonus Fair and Warren Throckmorton

Telling Jefferson Lies is written and produced by Warren Throckmorton

For more information about the book Getting Jefferson Right, go to gettingjeffersonright.com.

Note on Virginia laws on manumission: Virginia's legislature did amend them frequently throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Jefferson's financial situation clearly influenced his ability to emancipate enslaved people. However, that is not the argument Barton made in The Jefferson Lies. We countered the argument he made. In this episode, we demonstrate Barton's effort to whitewash Jefferson's record by making it appear that Jefferson had no choices because Virginia law prohibited emancipation. Of course, after 1782, this was not true.  After Barton was caught doing manipulating the record, he later said that Virginia laws favored emancipation by enslavers who were financially better off. No doubt that is true, but I don't believe that exonerates Jefferson. 

 If you want to pull white privilege and argue that the desire of a white man for his fine wine, exotic plants, rare books, constant home improvements at Monticello, life free from hard manual labor, and other accoutrements of a Southern enslaver outweighed the natural right of several hundred human beings to be free just because they were African, then I will most certainly judge you accordingly. David Barton praises Jefferson for his donations to Bible societies and purchases of Bibles and religious books with borrowed money. Every purchase of God's Holy Word came at the expense of the dignity and freedom of God's Holy Image Bearers being held captive at Monticello. 

Selah.