Jefferson-Hemings Resources
ON MONTICELLO'S WEB SITE:
- The Hemings-Jefferson Controversy: A Brief Account
- A Statement from Daniel P. Jordan, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, issued on November 1, 1998
- Remarks from Daniel P. Jordan, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, at the meeting of the Monticello Association, the organization of descendants of Thomas Jefferson (May 15, 1999)
- Report of the Monticello Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings (2000)
- Sally Hemings and Her Children: Information from Documentary Sources (published as Appendix H of the Report of the Monticello Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings)
- Statement on the Report by TJMF President Daniel P. Jordan
- Minority Report of the Monticello Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
- Response to the Minority Report of the Monticello Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
- Reply to the Response to the Minority Report
- Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: Sources
- Sally Hemings (a brief biography)
- Getting Word (an online exhibit of Monticello's interviews with the descendants of Monticello slaves)
- General Information on Slavery at Monticello
NEWS MEDIA:
- The journal Nature published the following articles (links are to article summaries; full text available to subscribers or with paid access):
- Eugene A. Foster et al., "Jefferson Fathered Slave's Last Child," November 5, 1998
- Eric S. Lander and Joseph J. Ellis, "Founding Father," November 5, 1998
- Eugene A. Foster et al., Reply: The Thomas Jefferson paternity case, letter to editor, January 7, 1999
- Science Magazine, Eliot Marshall: "Which Jefferson Was the Father?" January 1999 (summary only; full text available to subscribers or with paid access)
- U.S. News and World Report published the following articles:
- Barbra Murray, Brian Duffy, Gerald Parshall and Lewis Lord: "Jefferson's Secret Life", November 1998
- Lewis Lord: "The Tom-and-Sally Miniseries (Cont.)", January 1999
- Lewis Lord: "Jefferson, Hemings -- Again", April 2001
Discussion
says
Sally Hemings & Thomas Jefferson is a complicated and sometimes confusing topic to dive into, but this page makes it easy to get started. It's my go-to place for patrons who are curious about this topic and want to explore it themselves. There's even a comprehensive bibliography of sources that cover this topic, from all sides (under "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: Sources").
June 29, 2010, 4:46 pm
Why is this behavior still considered taboo or 'shocking' or even abnormal given the diabolical nature of systemic human enslavement? This was an absolute part of the culture of enslavement. The economic system of chattel slavery was a spider's web of complexity and irony. The total and shocking debasement of humans fostered by greed, perversion and convenience. There is no 'sugarcoating' the facts here, this type of behavior was often encouraged by 'gentlemen's rules' to perpetuate control of male & female 'chattel'. There is a not a more classic or better example of a psycho/social behavioral control system, probably written by the master himself, Mr. Jefferson. If not committed by slaveowners themselves these acts were absolutely encouraged to those hired to physically control the victims.