What a Nice Friend of Liberty Tom Was!

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"But when queried about the U.S. response to a French military expedition to [Haiti], Jefferson gave the impression that he would support an occupation and that he wished to see an unofficial alliance involving France, England, and the United States. All three would come together to crush the island republic... Jefferson agreed that they would 'reduce [Haitian leader] Toussaint to starvation.'" -- Madison and Jefferson, p. 375

This was due to Jefferson's fears that freed Haitian slaves would inspire revolt amongst American slaves. So he was willing to crush and starve these newly liberated, republican slaves, living in their own country, just so his own (and those of his neighbors) wouldn't get uppity.

Sometimes this stuff gets really ugly.

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