Introduction: John Jay and Enslavement

Although John Jay’s numerous contributions to US political culture merit considerable attention, historians have not studied his life and thought at length, especially his actions and attitudes toward Black enslavement. Most scholars take for granted that he vigorously opposed slavery throughout his lifetime. In fact, he took little decisive action on his own against enslavement, and remained a slaveholder who was often callous toward the enslaved. He minimized his devotion to the antislavery cause for political reasons until the debate over slavery in Missouri led him to propose national antislavery legislation in his retirement.