solved Racism was just one more tool that was used to

Racism was just one more tool that was used to highlight differences in culture and to keep the ruling class in power. The founding fathers were well aware of the contradiction that tested the very integrity of the declaration of independence. It would seem as though in efforts to preserve this power and out of fear they began to fuel ideas of white supremacy and superiority. While this was their intent all along to create a loyal group of subjects who all shared distinct features perhaps ignorance did play a small part in it. To back up my claim I will point to the words of Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers who was very influential on the subject. On his notes to the state of Virginia Jefferson. The primary sources indicate that his understanding of the differences between humans of different races is very limited. Much of the scientific data that he uses to support his claim lacked accurate testing or validity. One claim that he made that is accurate is a human’s ability to withstand the sun based on skin pigmentation. This shows Jefferson thought he was approaching his claims rationally with the science that was available to him at the time. Unfortunately his beliefs become even more skewed when he introduces his own philosophy of man into his argument of white superiority. He did not believe a multi-race multi-culture society would do well because they would be divided on too many issues and only look after their own race or culture respectively. “It will probably be asked, Why not retain and incorporate the blacks into the state, and thus save the expense of supplying, by importation of white settlers, the vacancies they will leave? Deep rooted prejudices entertained by the whites; ten thousand recollections, by the blacks, of the injuries they have sustained; new provocations; the real distinctions which nature has made; and many other circumstances, will divide us into parties, and produce convulsions which will probably never end but in the extermination of the one or the other race. —To these objections, which are political, may be added others, which are physical and moral.”1 It is because of limited knowledge at the time that many of these conclusions went unchecked and ignorance ran rampant. Although this sentiment was commonly shared by Jefferson’s Peers that did not mean his Ideas went unchallenged. Among those to challenge him was a freed slave by the name of Benjamin Banneker. He argued That besides pigment men of different races were the same in both emotion and intelligence under the eyes of god. In his letter to Jefferson he acknowledges a respect towards Jefferson and considers him a fair voice among the many who stood against the plight of his people at least for the time period “Sir I hope I may Safely admit, in consequence of that report which hath reached me, that you are a man far less inflexible in Sentiments of this nature, than many others, that you are measurably friendly and well disposed toward us, and that you are willing and ready to Lend your aid and assistance to our relief from those many distresses and numerous calamities to which we are reduced”2 He then goes on to dismantle Jefferson’s argument in favor of freeing slaves and expelling them from Virgina. He does this by highlighting the hypocrisy of the declaration of independence and the treatment given to black people by practitioners of christianity. The quality of the letter itself also anecdotally supports Bennekers claim that men of color were every bit as capable as white men in the pursuit of knowledge and education.please respond to this and be as detailed as possible, thank you!!