Thomas Jefferson

The thing that most stuck out to me about Jefferson's "Notes on the State of Virginia" is the way he discussed Native Americans. He takes a very scientific and anthropological approach in describing them. On page 184, he says "The Indian of North America being more within our reach, I can speak of him somewahre from my own knowledge, but more from the information of others better acquainted with him, and on whose truth and judgment I can rely." This statement shows his unwillingness to rely on simple stereotypes to describe Native Americans and his careful method of picking reliable sources of information on their culture. It is admirable that Jefferson tries to be objective, but at times it seems like he sees them less as his equal neighbors and more as some alien force that fascinates him. His fascination is clearly demonstrated when he describes the barrows he investigates and how he analyzes all the remains that he finds. A labor intensive act like this clearly shows a genuine interest in Native American culture and how it works. At first it seemed to me like the scientific way in which he analyzes Native American reproductive trends and burial rituals seemed to dehumanize them a little bit, as if they were simply a subject to be studied rather than real people. He neither seemed to be in defense of them or critical of them; he was merely curious. However, on page 227, he refers to Native Americans as "this part of the human race," cutting through his objective writing style and both clearly and respectfully identifying them as fellow human beings just like the Englishmen. This is a clear contrast to how Byrd portrayed the Native Americans, describing them as handsome savages that needed to be bleached over time.
Another thing that struck me throughout Jefferson's account of the Native Americans was how bound he was, despite his efforts to be objective, by English stereotypes. While he was a lot more respectful of Native American culture in his writing than a lot of other writers in that time period, little bits of prejudice seeped through every now and then. For example, on page 185 when describing how many Native American choose to die rather than surrender, he says "... though it be the whites, who he knows will treat him well..." This is a clear bias in favor of Jefferson's own race as he seems oblivious to the various war crimes against Native Americans and the ill treatment they received during colonial and post-colonial times. On the same page, when he describes how women seem to be of lower social status than men among Native Americans, he says "This I believe is the case with every barbarous people." Such examples show that while Jefferson acknowledges the Native Americans' humanity and has genuine enthusiasm for the study of their culture, he still holds racial prejudices against them.