During this course we learned about slavery and its effects on our country and African Americans. Slavery and racism were widespread throughout the Americas before, during and after the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Some people say that Jefferson didn't really help stop slavery in the United States. I think very differently and I will explain why in this essay. In this essay I will explain how views of race changed in the United States after the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, and how the events of the Jeffersonian era set the stage for race relations in the nineteenth century. an abolition, not only of commerce, but of the condition of slavery, and certainly no one will any longer be willing to make any sacrifice for this purpose." (Thomas Jefferson to Brissot de Warville, 1788. ME 6:428) Thomas Jefferson said this to Brissot de Warville in 1788 explaining his view on slavery in the United States This was both good and bad for Thomas Jefferson, in many ways He was very positive in the abolition of slavery in the United States because Jefferson says he would do anything to stop slavery and the slave trade in the United States. Thomas Jefferson had a theory that the United States could use part of the African coast and it would be used as a facility where African Americans who were in the United States would be relocated sees this as the best way to address the issue of slavery. Jefferson thinks this is a good idea because when African Americans returned to Africa they would take the things they learned while enslaved here and bring them back to Africa. Thomas Jefferson saw this as retribution against African Americans for all that... middle of paper... now he knew that slavery would divide our great country into two parts, one pro-slavery and the other anti-slavery. slavery. He knew that our country would not survive if there was slavery and through his speech he proves it. In this essay I explained the film Amistad and how race relations were viewed in the film. This movie really helps people see how horrible it was for African Americans in 1839-1842. The film showed the prejudice this country had against people from Africa and how horribly our country treated slaves. Through John Quince Adams' speech it was stated how the problem would be solved, and this happened through a civil war. modules/jeffersonian_era/index.cfmhttp://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1290.htmhttp://www.american.edu/TED/slave.htm