UThomas Jefferson, umongameli wesithathu wase-United States of America.Ifoto nguHulton Archive / Getty Izithombe Abakho ootata abasungula abaphikisayo njengoThomas Jefferson, umbhali weSibhengezo senkululeko kunye nomnini wekhoboka. Abagxeki babuza ukuba umntu othi uxhasa ubomi, inkululeko kunye nokufuna ukonwaba angayaphula njani le miyalelo. Ukuze sifunde oku kungangqinelaniyo, kuya kufuneka sivavanye imibhalo yakhe ngalo mbandela, kunye nezenzo zakhe akuba ngumongameli.
Kwakhe Amanqaku kuRhulumente waseVirginia , awayibhala ngo-1785, ugubungela imixholo emininzi, kodwa izimvo zakhe ngobuhlanga zezona ziphikisanayo.
Uludwelisa ngokuthelekiswa kwabantu abamnyama nabamhlophe. Naxa ehlawula abantu base-Afrika-baseMelika ukuncoma, ihlala iyinto ethandwayo. Umzekelo, wabhala oku ngokubhekisele kwinkalipho yama-Afrika-aseMelika: Ubuncinci banesibindi, kwaye banomdla ngakumbi. Kodwa oku kusenokwenzeka ukuba kuqhubekeke kukufuna ukucinga kwangaphambili…
UJefferson naye ubhala, Kubonakala kum ukuba kwimemori bayalingana nabamhlophe; ngenxa yoko, uthobekile.
Kamva kwisincoko, wongeza, ndiya phambili ke ngoko, njengokukrokra kuphela, ukuba abantu abamnyama, nokuba ngaba yayiloluphi na uhlanga olwahlukileyo, okanye babekwa bucala lixesha kunye neemeko, bangaphantsi kwabamhlophe kwizibonelelo zomzimba nezengqondo. .
Kodwa khawucinge ngala magama: njengokukrokra kuphela. Khumbula ukuba uJefferson wayeziqhayisa njengendoda yesayensi kwaye akhumbule iparadigm enamandla yohlanga. Ngelo xesha, bekufanele ukuba uyazi ukuba abamhlophe bangaphezulu kwabantsundu. UJefferson wayevingca ukubheja kwakhe, kunye nokuqaphela indlela abantu abamnyama abanokuphakama ngayo kunabamhlophe ngenkalipho kunye nobugcisa, hayi kwiimpawu ezithile ezibonakalayo.
UJefferson naye wazimisa wahlukile kwabanye bexesha lakhe kuba wayethanda ukukhululwa kwamakhoboka kulomnqophiso, owabhalwa kudala phambi kwexesha lika-Abraham Lincoln. Ukucinga ukuba ubukrakra malunga nobukhoboka buza kwahlula iintlanga, wacebisa ukuba kuthunyelwe abamnyama phesheya ukuba balawule iAfrika. Ucebise ngokubanika imipu, izixhobo kunye nezinto zoncedo zokwenza ilizwe elitsha apho, kunye nokunabisa ubumbano kunye nokukhuselwa kwethu.
Kodwa wenza ntoni uJefferson njengomongameli waseMelika? Kwikota yakhe yesibini, wavala urhwebo lwamakhoboka , Oko kuthetha ukuba ukuzisa amakhoboka asuka e-Afrika yayilityala elifanayo nokuthutyeleziswa. Abaphumeleleyo bade bamisela iQela lase-Afrika, elinombutho owakhiwe ngokutsha we-USS Constellation (onokuyibona kwaye ukhenkethe kwi-Baltimore Harbour namhlanje), ejikeleza iilwandle eziphakamileyo ukubamba abo baphula lo mthetho. UJefferson wayenethemba lokuba isenzo esinjalo siza kukhokelela ekuphelisweni kobukhoboka, kodwa wayithathela ingqalelo iminqweno yabanini-khoboka Ukujikeleza umoya womthetho, kunye nokuzala nokuqhekeza iintsapho.
Nangona uJefferson wayengabanyanzeli ngokufanayo abantu abamnyama ukuba bathunyelwe, elinye ilungu leqela uJames Monroe lanceda ukuthatha amanyathelo awenzileyo Layibheriya Ikomkhulu layo libizwa ngokuba yiMonrovia.
Namhlanje, siyayazi indlela ubugqila obungalunganga ngayo. Kwaye akufuneki sibenze mhlophe okanye sigqumelele irekhodi likaJefferson ngalo mbandela. Kodwa akufuneki simgxothe ngokufanayo. Kufanelekile ukuba uqaphele ukuba izithuko zakhe ekugqibeleni zanikezela kwintlonipho ethile. Sinokufunda kwiintsilelo zakhe-kunye nakwimpumelelo yakhe-kumba wobuhlanga.
UJohn A. Tures nguprofesa wesayensi yezopolitiko eLaGrange College eLaGrange, eGa jtures@lagrange.edu . Iakhawunti yakhe ye-Twitter nguJohnTures2.
