Re: Jefferson --

From what I have read, Jefferson inherited his slaves from his father-in-law (women in Virginia could not own property).

He was opposed to slavery, in principle, but it was illegal under Virginia law to set them free. However, it was not illegal to put in one's will that they could be set free upon the death of the slave owner.

That's what he planned to do. However, George Washington did that when he died, and right after that, Virginia passed a law making that illegal, as well. So, Jefferson could not even do that when he died.

So, Jefferson could either set them free, thus making himself a criminal, or keep them and do the best he could. He reasoned that even if he set them free, in the world that existed at the time, they would likely end up captured back into slavery again. Plus, many slaves WANTED to be slaves because they could not conceive of the idea of how they would live if they had freedom.

Couple of interesting quotes that have stuck in my mind:

When a slave sees a free man, he can think one of two thoughts: There is a free man, why am I not free like he is; or, there is a free man, why is he not a slave like me? -- Frederick Douglass

I could have freed more slaves, if only I could have convinced them that they were slaves. -- Harriet Tubman

Both quotes apply today, as well.

Re: Leftists not caring about real slavery today --

Right, because leftists do not care about ideas, concepts or principles. They only care about being seen by others as virtuous, even if it is a fake virtue.

I remember something a friend said to me many years ago:

Most people live their lives focused on (concerned about) what other people think about them, because they want to "fit in" (this is especially true for females and liberals); but the irony is that all those other people are so focused on what everyone else is thinking about THEM, that they don't have any time or any interest in thinking about anyone else.