Jefferson's writings seem to support the notion that he was opposed to slavery. Jefferson called slavery a moral depravity and believed the institution ran contrary to the laws of nature, and of nature's God. In fact, he desired to see slavery abolished.
For example, in 1778, Jefferson introduced legislation that prohibited the importation of enslaved Africans to Virginia. A few years later he proposed legislation that would ban slavery in the Northwest territories, but this legislation failed to pass Congress by a single vote.
If you were to go through Jefferson's writings, you would find example after example in which he clearly identified slavery as a social evil that needed to be put to an end. In fact, he believed the institution of slavery threatened the very survival of the nation (which, as we know from the events of the 1860s, was not too far from reality)!
But Jefferson also held racist ideas. He believed African Americans were inferior to those of European descent, as this was the commonly held view of his time.
So how was all of this resolved in Jefferson's mind? If you pay attention to one thing in this lesson, pay attention to this statement: basically, Jefferson favored a gradual emancipation, meaning he believed slavery should be abolished in stages. He believed it would be dangerous to suddenly free all enslaved people at once. He feared racial conflict would erupt. He feared such a radical change would result in harm both to enslaved people and to white citizens. As a champion of democracy, and the will of the people, he also believed the abolition of slavery should be initiated by the masses, not forced on the masses by a federal government.
Jefferson also hoped that people who labored in slavery in America, once emancipated, would be deported to either Africa or the West Indies. This was a common view of the time that stemmed not so much from dislike as from the belief that an interracial society would not be in the best interest of the people liberated from slavery. Basically Jefferson (and others) believed a new start in a new land was in the best interest of those emancipated.
Jefferson handed off the issue of slavery to future generations, believing they should decide what to do about it. To come up with a radical plan for the abolition of slavery was too great a risk for Jefferson to take. Many historians have criticized Jefferson for not taking a firmer stance. They regard Jefferson as lacking courage, which is a valid argument. Jefferson held to lofty ideals of liberty and equality, but in practice, these ideals did not always play out.
