Takaki Ch. 3

Chapter 3 of Takaki’s book entitled A Different Mirror, he focuses on the beginnings of slavery in the early colonies. Takaki makes many descriptions on the beginning of slavery that many people never even recognized. Although there were Africans in the U.S. during its start much of the labor was actually done by white servants. He made it very clear how they were the exact same but treated very differently. The white servants and the blacks would even join together and try to escape. If you where caught, the whites would be punished with extra time to serve their master, but the blacks were served with time forever. They were never to become free for what they did. Their children would even have to be born into slavery, even if they were not permitted to have children. Takaki even mentions the incidents where the white servants and the blacks would so called “laying together” or showing emotion towards one another. Another issue that Takaki discusses is during this time was a difference of religion. Before, Africans were thought to be savages and believed in no religion. But, once they became Christians, laws had to be passed to separate race from religion. Takaki explains how whites would blame the black slaves in order to keep the white race in charge. He noted that class was one of the major issues facing the colonist. Takaki also addresses the struggles the white servants went through once they were granted freedom. They had a really hard time earning the land they were promised. To the farmers and land owners, slaves were a good way to solve the class problem because they were indentured to the whites and where there to serve them. This is what gave them the superiority.
Takaki also portrays Jefferson in two different lights. He shows how many slaves he actually owned in contrast to the way he was feeling about slavery. He then gave the white man right to own land and this would keep the slaves below the white man. Jefferson at one time owned up to 267 slaves in 1822, but then in his notes mentioned the recommendation of the gradual abolition of slavery. What would make a man as we see of great discovery and making of our country become so contradictory? Why did Jefferson simply own 267 and then start to feel guilty for the way his slaves were treated and the liberty they were not given?