"Being good gentlemen of the Enlightenment, the Founders thought that the demise of slavery would come about naturally. Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, all believed that somehow slavery would disappear."
— James Madison

January 1, 1970

Quote Details

Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Added on April 10, 2026
Unverified quote
0 likes
Presidents of the United StatesAcademics from the United StatesFounding Fathers of the United States of AmericaUnited States presidential candidates, 1812United States presidential candidates, 1808
Original Language: English

Sources

Robert Parks, "Hoping Someone (Else) Would Abolish Slavery" (24 February 1994), by Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times