My name is Thomas Jefferson, and I was born on April 13, 1743 in a place called Shadwell, Virginia. My family were not strangers to the world of the elite, and I received a private education that would later in my life lead to great things. The time I spent at the College of William and Mary exposed me to enlightenment ideas that shaped my worldview and guided my life's work.
In considering my own background, an important thing to discuss is my relationship with slavery. Growing up in Virginia, I was surrounded by a society that relied heavily on slave labor, and an adult, I, too, inherited and owned my own slaves. In this period where I owned slaves, there was a strong moral dilemma deciding if it was right or just.
However, over the course of my life, my views on slavery evolved. I came to recognize the moral dilemma between my own institution of slavery and what was right. My personal challenges regarding this matter shows the overarching challenge faced by our country in reconciling its core principles.
