Going Against the Grain

     Although Jefferson owned personal slaves he still insisted that he did not agree with slavery. In the reading Going Against the Grain the author mentions that Jefferson's distaste for slavery was shared by others. That in which they were against the system of slavery but not necessarily in support of the quality of the Africans. At this time there was a lot of controversey about the issue of slavery but very few people were willing to take action for what they believed to be right and/or wrong. There were many statesmen against slavery and many that believed that they should be incorporated into the society. Thus, maintaining the skills to read and write. In the early 17th century few people reached out to educate some of the slaves, for at this time schooling opportunities were rising for both men and women. Three literacy activists during this time was Reverend Samuel Thomas, Rev. Dr. Thomas Bray, and Elias Neau. They set out to educate the captive slaves so that they may become literate and interact as civilized people.