Am I a Classical Liberal?

[TX-Beau]

Spin away....

...had Jefferson, and Washington during their life times...liberated their slaves, to employ them as paid labourers...their examples freeing their slaves, might well have led to the end of slavery throughout the new nation...and no Civil War.

That's just fantasy. You're making an ivory tower absolute statement at a historical remove centuries long, while completely ignoring the context of the decision you're asserting was so simple.

I think, you just want to be self-righteous.

 

[palemale]

If Jefferson and the rest had liberated their slaves at that time, they would have gone broke, the slaves would have been kidnapped and returned to slavery, and nothing would have changed except that Jefferson would likely not have become president.

It's no spin, it was economic reality.

Except that Washington did free his slaves in his will. Shortly after his death, all of his slave and his wife's slaves were freed. His estate did not go broke, and I've seen no evidence that his slaves were kidnapped. Had Jefferson, Washington, et al, freed their slaves, they may not have been extremely wealthy, but presumably they would have been able to work. Not every rich person in colonial America was a slave owner, although plenty of Northern businesses made huge profits from slavery, such as banks and insurance companies.

 

[kallipolis]

Except that Washington did free his slaves in his will. Shortly after his death, all of his slave and his wife's slaves were freed. His estate did not go broke, and I've seen no evidence that his slaves were kidnapped. Had Jefferson, Washington, et al, freed their slaves, they may not have been extremely wealthy, but presumably they would have been able to work. Not every rich person in colonial America was a slave owner, although plenty of Northern businesses made huge profits from slavery, such as banks and insurance companies.

Noteworthy............

 

[Kulindahr]

Except that Washington did free his slaves in his will. Shortly after his death, all of his slave and his wife's slaves were freed. His estate did not go broke, and I've seen no evidence that his slaves were kidnapped. Had Jefferson, Washington, et al, freed their slaves, they may not have been extremely wealthy, but presumably they would have been able to work. Not every rich person in colonial America was a slave owner, although plenty of Northern businesses made huge profits from slavery, such as banks and insurance companies.

Washington was far better off financially. Jefferson became the largest landholder in Virginia due to inheriting estates, but the inheritances came with substantial debt (equivalent to some $2mn in today's dollars). As long as he had that debt, he didn't have the means to provide as he wished for any slaves he freed -- and he did free some, after they had acquired skills sufficient to be employed or even have their own businesses. Other debt was due to people not paying what they owed him, some from his co-signing for loans, and a fair chunk due to cost issues on Monticello. Jefferson strove to reach a point where he could free his slaves and give each an amount of funds for starting out on their own, but never managed it.

Since at the time of his death there were no bankruptcy laws, his heirs had little choice but to sell the slaves not freed in his will (they even had to auction off Monticello). By that time the risk of freed slaves being kidnapped and returned to slavery had lessened, especially the slaves of prominent men such as former presidents.