Around the beginning of the revolutionary war, a slave turned poet wrote a poem to the commanding General of the Continental Army, future President, and slaveowner. She attached a letter to the poem wishing him the best of luck. The General replied with sincere gratitude. The "Preamble" to the Declaration of Independence proclaims, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Yet Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the document, held slaves and did not believe in equality between the races. Clearly, African Americans were not part of the intended audience. How did the enslavement of blacks complicate the notion of national independence? Were blacks interested in independence? How would Voltaire take up their argument? Discuss Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery, race, and equality. How is the correspondence between Phillis Wheatley and George Washington so different from that of Jefferson and Banneker? Use tangible evidence in your disco

Around the beginning of the revolutionary war, a slave turned poet wrote a poem to the commanding General of the Continental Army, future President, and slaveowner. She attached a letter to the poem wishing him the best of luck. The General replied with sincere gratitude. The "Preamble" to the Declaration of Independence proclaims, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Yet Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the document, held slaves and did not believe in equality between the races. Clearly, African Americans were not part of the intended audience. How did the enslavement of blacks complicate the notion of national independence? Were blacks interested in independence? How would Voltaire take up their argument? Discuss Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery, race, and equality. How is the correspondence between Phillis Wheatley and George Washington so different from that of Jefferson and Banneker? Use tangible evidence in your disco