Really interesting “Railway Classics” sounds like a 19th century version of today's "airport novels"! Nothing much changes, does it, except that back then it was a real innovation.
I don't know much about Jefferson, and I suppose I ought to take the view that nobody is perfect and perhaps he did the very best he could, given the age in which he lived, but I've never really managed to get my head around the juxtaposition of penning"All men are created equal", and being a slave owner.
Having said that, I'm glad that there are people like Kidd and yourself who are willing to dig deeper and write about it. I think it's awful the way people in the past are judged (and cancelled) by people nowadays for not having the 'correct' views. And I wonder how our descendants will judge US!
Always a sobering point to reflect upon. I don’t think we should give Jefferson a pass so much as understand his character and choices within his context. Even then, as Kidd points out, there are blameworthy aspects of his life and decisions. The worst example: His flagrant indebtedness made it impossible—or at least quite difficult—to manumit his slaves, which was something he claimed he wanted to do. So even in terms of his own values, he fell short.
Really interesting “Railway Classics” sounds like a 19th century version of today's "airport novels"! Nothing much changes, does it, except that back then it was a real innovation.
I don't know much about Jefferson, and I suppose I ought to take the view that nobody is perfect and perhaps he did the very best he could, given the age in which he lived, but I've never really managed to get my head around the juxtaposition of penning"All men are created equal", and being a slave owner.
Having said that, I'm glad that there are people like Kidd and yourself who are willing to dig deeper and write about it. I think it's awful the way people in the past are judged (and cancelled) by people nowadays for not having the 'correct' views. And I wonder how our descendants will judge US!
Always a sobering point to reflect upon. I don’t think we should give Jefferson a pass so much as understand his character and choices within his context. Even then, as Kidd points out, there are blameworthy aspects of his life and decisions. The worst example: His flagrant indebtedness made it impossible—or at least quite difficult—to manumit his slaves, which was something he claimed he wanted to do. So even in terms of his own values, he fell short.
Outstanding.
Glad you enjoyed it!