ABSTRACT
The magnificent words of the Declaration of Independence declaring freedom and equality as universal rights of all "men" were, however, fatally flawed, compromised in that the men who wrote them denied freedom to almost one-fourth of the men in America. Understanding Jefferson's views on race is therefore critical to an appreciation of how racism fundamentally compromised the idea of universal freedom at the very creation of the American Republic. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration to the writing of the Constitution at Philadelphia, the founders of America compromised the idea of universal freedom in pursuit of a union based on property, profits, slavery, and the ideology of white supremacy. Forten was part of the founding generation of Americans. The first or principal priority of the framers was the formation and preservation of the union of the United States. The framers of the Constitution were influenced in their work by their readings in philosophy and history.
