Throughout chapter 6 in John Hollitz's Thinking Through the Past issues were brought up about the Jefforsonian Republican ideology and the impacts of slavery upon it. The chapter included a secondary source from the author Ronald T. Tanaka correctly named, Within the ‘Bowels' of the Republic that identified the issues surrounding Thomas Jefferson's views on slavery in the post-revolution era.

Tanaka took an in-depth view on the state of slavery after the American Revolution and the issues Jefferson faced as a result of the slavery of blacks and the ongoing presence of the Native population. Tanaka stated many truths about Jefferson's ideology throughout the secondary source that paralleled arguments apparent in the primary documents …show more content…

Tanaka's secondary source concentrated on many aspects of the fears and threats Jefferson felt because of the slavery of the black people. Tanaka illustrated the threat of rebellion by the blacks in his essay by reiterating the fact that the blacks cultivated together against the issue of slavery and minor revolts had sprung out through the southern parts of America. More specifically Tanaka recalled the bloody rebellion of Santo Domingo where slaves rebelled and caused much bloodshed (Hollitz pg.112). The threat of a massive slave rebellion struck fear in the eyes of the white man including Jefferson. He acknowledged the massive population of blacks in certain, more susceptible parts of the world and realized the threat the blacks posed in a letter to James Monroe already inhabited more or less by the same race. The most promising portion of them is the island of St. Domingo, where the blacks are established into a sovereignty de facto, & have organized themselves under regular laws & government" (Hollitz, pg.125). Obviously Jefferson saw the rebellion of St. Domingo and the eventual colonization of the area for blacks as a model that other slaves would aspire for. Both Tanaka's article and Jefferson's letter to Monroe offered historical insight into the reality of the black slavery threat of the early 1800's. Although most of Tanaka's recollections of the time were quite strong and paralleled the primary sources available