"The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other. Our children see this, and learn to imitate it"

Thomas Jefferson’s statement captures the inherent brutality and moral corruption of slavery. He describes the relationship between slave owner and enslaved person as marked by ceaseless "boisterous passions", suggesting uncontrolled rage, violence, and impulsive authority exerted by the master. These are not tempered emotions but the forceful, erratic outbursts of someone who has absolute power with no accountability. The “unremitting despotism” refers to the constant, unrelenting exercise of tyrannical control, a daily reality in which the slave owner asserts his dominance with no pause or relief for the enslaved. In contrast, the enslaved are subjected to “degrading submissions,” which speaks not only to their forced compliance but to the way that this requirement constantly strips them of their dignity and humanity.

The relationship described is not an occasional cruelty but a "perpetual exercise", making it clear that both parties are locked into these roles indefinitely. There is no escape from the rotation of violence and submission; it is a structure set in motion and maintained by the prevailing laws and customs of their society. Jefferson’s word choice underlines the corruptive effects on both: the master grows accustomed to violence and arbitrary power, while the slave’s position demands continual humiliation.

The most haunting aspect of this dynamic is its impact on the next generation. Children observe these interactions daily. With impressionable minds, they internalize the lessons around them: they see “boisterous passions” rewarded and submission normalized. The process is cyclical and self-perpetuating. The children of slaveholders do not learn impartial justice or empathy; instead, they are molded by the ongoing spectacle of domination and degradation. This socialization ensures that both tyranny and subjugation continue, embedded in cultural norms and reproduced through the family, poisoning the moral fabric of society at its roots. Jefferson thus warns of how systemic injustice not only harms its direct victims but also corrupts the wider community and future generations.