Liberty & Slavery: The Paradox of America's Founding Fathers

America’s Founding Fathers envisioned an America founded on individual liberty and independence.  This desire for freedom was expressed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, which stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . . .”  Yet many of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington, James Madison, and Patrick Henry, as well as Thomas Jefferson, were slave owners.  In the award-winning film Liberty & Slavery: The Paradox of America’s Founding Fathers, historians and scholars paint a picture of the 18th century culture of the Founding Fathers, and explores how these men who championed liberty did not champion it for all.