Over the River and Through the Woods: Miscegenation and the American Experiment

This dissertation examines how early American authors utilized the concept of miscegenation as a way to alter the American experiment. By invoking and exploring the paradox that Thomas Jefferson writes into existence with the Declaration of Independence and Notes on the State of Virginia, this dissertation seeks to illuminate the ways that early American authors were influenced by Jefferson's paradoxical thoughts on race in America. How do these authors attempt to solve the Jeffersonian conundrum?