Thomas Jackson viewpoint on slavery

Answer 1

Thomas Jackson looked at slavery, as most everything else in his life, through a biblical lens. He saw it as his responsibility to improve the lives of his and other slaves, more than ending slavery. He was, by all accounts, a very kind and fair master. He and his wife were guilty of the "crime" of teaching slaves to read. They also educated them in both religious and secular subjects. He saw to it that both black and white were allowed to worship at his Presbyterian church, where he served as a deacon. He and his wife taught the all black congregation, which had to worship seperatly from whites at the church. Because of this, he is cited as one of the more influential people in the early history of black churches in america. Several of the men he and his wife taught became some of the first black ministers in America after the war. On several occassions he is quoted as saying he wished the Virginia Legislature would outlaw slavery. There are a number of great books about Thomas Jackson but I think the one that would be most helpful in answering this particular question would be Stonewall Jackson: The Black Man's Friend by Richard G. Williams