When Landon Carter, a Virginia plantation owner, read the Declaration of Independence two days after it was issued, he wondered whether its ringing affirmation of equality meant that slaves must be freed. If so, he confided to his diary, 'You must send them out of the country, or they must steal for their support.'

In this quote, Edmund Morgan describes the reaction of Landon Carter, a Virginia plantation owner, to the Declaration of Independence shortly after its release in 1776. Carter, upon reading the Declaration, was struck by its affirmation of equality, particularly the statement that "all men are created equal." This led him to question whether the document’s ideals would extend to the institution of slavery. Carter's reflection in his diary reveals his discomfort with the potential implications of equality, specifically regarding the future of enslaved African Americans.

Carter’s reaction shows the tension between the ideals of freedom and equality espoused in the Declaration and the realities of the Southern economy, which heavily relied on slave labor. He wondered whether the Declaration’s proclamation meant that slaves should be freed—and if so, what would become of them. Carter’s suggestion that freed slaves would either have to be sent out of the country or would resort to stealing for survival illustrates the pervasive belief among many slaveholders that enslaved individuals could not function as free citizens without support or guidance.

Morgan's quote highlights the deep moral and ideological contradictions present in the American Revolution. While the Declaration of Independence espoused universal ideals of liberty and equality, these principles were not easily applied to the reality of slavery in the South. The question Carter raised underscores the challenge of reconciling the values of liberty with the economic and social system that depended on the subjugation of enslaved people.

Ultimately, Morgan’s reference to Carter’s diary illustrates the moral dilemma faced by many Americans at the time. The ideals of equality and freedom in the Declaration clashed with the entrenched system of slavery that existed in the South, creating a tension that would eventually lead to the Civil War. Carter’s diary entry serves as a reflection of the complexities and contradictions in early American society regarding issues of race, freedom, and equality.