The Attitudes of the Founding Fathers of the United States toward Slavery in Their Writings and Practices
(A Historical-Analytical Study)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33193/eJHAS.23.2026.451Keywords:
Founding Fathers, Slavery, Enslavement, United States of America, New WorldAbstract
This study aimed to examine the attitudes of the Founding Fathers of the United States toward slavery, explore how these attitudes were reflected in their writings, speeches, and practical actions, and assess the extent to which their positions were consistent or inconsistent with the principles they helped establish during the founding of the United States. The study focused on seven prominent Founding Fathers: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. The study employed the historical-analytical method through an examination of historical documents, correspondence, speeches, and writings associated with these figures, as well as an analysis of their practical actions and their relationship to the institution of slavery within its historical context during the founding era of the United States. The findings revealed that the Founding Fathers did not hold a unified position on slavery; rather, their views were diverse and complex. Some opposed slavery and advocated limiting or abolishing it, as was the case, to varying degrees, with Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams. Others, however, owned enslaved people or continued to benefit from the institution despite expressing moral reservations about it, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. The results also demonstrated a gap between the principles associated with the founding of the American state—particularly liberty and equality—and the actual practices of some Founding Fathers toward enslaved individuals. Furthermore, the study found that political, economic, and social considerations during the founding period contributed to the avoidance of a decisive resolution of the slavery issue, allowing it to persist for decades and leaving profound consequences for the political and social history of the United States.
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