Jefferson and Sally Hemings
There is an ongoing debate that during Jefferson's lifetime he was having an affair with Sally Hemings, one of his own slaves. It is speculated and believed by many that Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings were in fact having an ongoing sexual relationship.
In 1787, Thomas Jefferson arrived in France to serve as the United States Ambassador to France. Jefferson decided to take Sally Hemings and his youngest daughter Mary along with him (Gordon-Reed). Sally stayed in France with the Jeffersons, where slavery was ironically illegal (Gordon-Reed). Sally could have petitioned for her freedom while in France because the constitution in France abolished it. Legally, Hemings had the legal right to remain in France as a free black individual (Dabney). If she returned to the states with Jefferson, she would come back as a slave. She agreed to return back to the United States with Jefferson only if he promised to her that her children could be freed once they reached a certain age. (Dabney). By Sally staying in France with Jefferson and not petitioning for her freedom could be arguable proof that they were in deed in a relationship. If Sally was truly in love with Jefferson, no wonder she decided to stay with him in France and return back to the United States with him.
Recent DNA evidence shows a convincing case that Jefferson was in fact the biological father of one of Heming's children.The claim that Thomas Jefferson fathered Sally's children gained public attention during his first term as president and hasn't settled since (Monticello). It has remained a subject of discussion to this very day. In 1998, the DNA results were conducted by Dr. Eugene Foster and a team of geneticists (Monticello). The study tested Y- chromosomal DNA samples from Field Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's uncle, John Carr, grandfather of Jefferson's Carr nephews, Eston Hemings, and Thomas Woodson (Monticello). The samples indicated that there was a genetic link between the Jefferson and Hemings descendants (Monticello).
The results showed that an individual carrying the male Jefferson Y- chromosome fathered Eston Hemings. Eston was born in 1808, and is Sally Hemings last known child (Monticello). According to the study's authors, there were approximately 25 male Jefferson adults who carried this specific chromosome living in Virginia. The authors believe that "the simplest and most probable" conclusion was that Jefferson did certainly father Eston Hemings (Monticello).
In 1787, Thomas Jefferson arrived in France to serve as the United States Ambassador to France. Jefferson decided to take Sally Hemings and his youngest daughter Mary along with him (Gordon-Reed). Sally stayed in France with the Jeffersons, where slavery was ironically illegal (Gordon-Reed). Sally could have petitioned for her freedom while in France because the constitution in France abolished it. Legally, Hemings had the legal right to remain in France as a free black individual (Dabney). If she returned to the states with Jefferson, she would come back as a slave. She agreed to return back to the United States with Jefferson only if he promised to her that her children could be freed once they reached a certain age. (Dabney). By Sally staying in France with Jefferson and not petitioning for her freedom could be arguable proof that they were in deed in a relationship. If Sally was truly in love with Jefferson, no wonder she decided to stay with him in France and return back to the United States with him.
Recent DNA evidence shows a convincing case that Jefferson was in fact the biological father of one of Heming's children.The claim that Thomas Jefferson fathered Sally's children gained public attention during his first term as president and hasn't settled since (Monticello). It has remained a subject of discussion to this very day. In 1998, the DNA results were conducted by Dr. Eugene Foster and a team of geneticists (Monticello). The study tested Y- chromosomal DNA samples from Field Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's uncle, John Carr, grandfather of Jefferson's Carr nephews, Eston Hemings, and Thomas Woodson (Monticello). The samples indicated that there was a genetic link between the Jefferson and Hemings descendants (Monticello).
The results showed that an individual carrying the male Jefferson Y- chromosome fathered Eston Hemings. Eston was born in 1808, and is Sally Hemings last known child (Monticello). According to the study's authors, there were approximately 25 male Jefferson adults who carried this specific chromosome living in Virginia. The authors believe that "the simplest and most probable" conclusion was that Jefferson did certainly father Eston Hemings (Monticello).
Image Above: "Portrait of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)" by Charles Willson Peale
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