Sally Hemings Thomas Jefferson

Author : Annette Gordon-Reed
Publisher : University of Virginia Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 1998-03-29
Category : History
ISBN : 9780813933566

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Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings by Annette Gordon-Reed Pdf

When Annette Gordon-Reed's groundbreaking study was first published, rumors of Thomas Jefferson's sexual involvement with his slave Sally Hemings had circulated for two centuries. Among all aspects of Jefferson's renowned life, it was perhaps the most hotly contested topic. The publication of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings intensified this debate by identifying glaring inconsistencies in many noted scholars' evaluations of the existing evidence. In this study, Gordon-Reed assembles a fascinating and convincing argument: not that the alleged thirty-eight-year liaison necessarily took place but rather that the evidence for its taking place has been denied a fair hearing. Friends of Jefferson sought to debunk the Hemings story as early as 1800, and most subsequent historians and biographers followed suit, finding the affair unthinkable based upon their view of Jefferson's life, character, and beliefs. Gordon-Reed responds to these critics by pointing out numerous errors and prejudices in their writings, ranging from inaccurate citations, to impossible time lines, to virtual exclusions of evidence—especially evidence concerning the Hemings family. She demonstrates how these scholars may have been misguided by their own biases and may even have tailored evidence to serve and preserve their opinions of Jefferson. This updated edition of the book also includes an afterword in which the author comments on the DNA study that provided further evidence of a Jefferson and Hemings liaison.00 Possessing both a layperson's unfettered curiosity and a lawyer's logical mind, Annette Gordon-Reed writes with a style and compassion that are irresistible. Each chapter revolves around a key figure in the Hemings drama, and the resulting portraits are engrossing and very personal. Gordon-Reed also brings a keen intuitive sense of the psychological complexities of human relationships—relationships that, in the real world, often develop regardless of status or race. The most compelling element of all, however, is her extensive and careful research, which often allows the evidence to speak for itself. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy is the definitive look at a centuries-old question that should fascinate general readers and historians alike.

Author : Jan Lewis,Peter S. Onuf
Publisher : University of Virginia Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0813919193

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Sally Hemings & Thomas Jefferson by Jan Lewis,Peter S. Onuf Pdf

The DNA tests would not have been conducted had there not already been strong historical evidence for the possibility of a relationship. As historians from Winthrop D. Jordan to Annette Gordon-Reed have argued, much more is at stake in this liaison than the mere question of paternity: historians must ask themselves if they are prepared to accept the full implications of our complicated racial history, a history powerfully shaped by the institution of slavery and by sex across the color line.

Author : Stephen O'Connor
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 624 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2016-04-05
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780698410336

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Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings by Stephen O'Connor Pdf

“Dazzling. . . The most revolutionary reimagining of Jefferson’s life ever.” –Ron Charles, Washington Post Winner of the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Longlisted for the 2016 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A debut novel about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, in whose story the conflict between the American ideal of equality and the realities of slavery and racism played out in the most tragic of terms. Novels such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird and Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks are a part of a long tradition of American fiction that plumbs the moral and human costs of history in ways that nonfiction simply can't. Now Stephen O’Connor joins this company with a profoundly original exploration of the many ways that the institution of slavery warped the human soul, as seen through the story of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. O’Connor’s protagonists are rendered via scrupulously researched scenes of their lives in Paris and at Monticello that alternate with a harrowing memoir written by Hemings after Jefferson’s death, as well as with dreamlike sequences in which Jefferson watches a movie about his life, Hemings fabricates an "invention" that becomes the whole world, and they run into each other "after an unimaginable length of time" on the New York City subway. O'Connor is unsparing in his rendition of the hypocrisy of the Founding Father and slaveholder who wrote "all men are created equal,” while enabling Hemings to tell her story in a way history has not allowed her to. His important and beautifully written novel is a deep moral reckoning, a story about the search for justice, freedom and an ideal world—and about the survival of hope even in the midst of catastrophe.

Author : Gayle Jessup White
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2021-11-16
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780063028678

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Reclamation by Gayle Jessup White Pdf

A Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings’ family explores America’s racial reckoning through the prism of her ancestors—both the enslaver and the enslaved. Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her father’s family, that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson—lore she firmly believed, though others did not. For four decades the acclaimed journalist and genealogy enthusiast researched her connection to Thomas Jefferson, to confirm its truth once and for all. After she was named a Jefferson Studies Fellow, Jessup White discovered her family lore was correct. Poring through photos and documents and pursuing DNA evidence, she learned that not only was she a descendant of Jefferson on his father’s side; she was also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter Hemings, Sally Hemings’s brother. In Reclamation she chronicles her remarkable journey to definitively understand her heritage and reclaim it, and offers a compelling portrait of what it means to be a black woman in America, to pursue the American dream, to reconcile the legacy of racism, and to ensure the nation lives up to the ideals advocated by her legendary ancestor.

Author : Byron W. Woodson
Publisher : Praeger
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2001-02-28
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : UOM:39015053527100

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A President in the Family by Byron W. Woodson Pdf

A sixth generation descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings details the quest to corroborate family lore, to locate missing family members, and to reveal the truth about the complex day-to-day life at Monticello. 30 photos.

Author : Annette Gordon-Reed
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 800 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2009-08-25
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780393337761

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The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed Pdf

Historian and legal scholar Gordon-Reed presents this epic work that tells the story of the Hemingses, an American slave family and their close blood ties to Thomas Jefferson.

Author : William G. Hyland, Jr.
Publisher : Macmillan
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2009-06-09
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1429969261

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In Defense of Thomas Jefferson by William G. Hyland, Jr. Pdf

The belief that Thomas Jefferson had an affair and fathered a child (or children) with slave Sally Hemings---and that such an allegation was proven by DNA testing—has become so pervasive in American popular culture that it is not only widely accepted but taught to students as historical fact. But as William G. Hyland Jr. demonstrates, this "fact" is nothing more than the accumulation of salacious rumors and irresponsible scholarship over the years, much of it inspired by political grudges, academic opportunism, and the trend of historical revisionism that seeks to drag the reputation of the Founding Fathers through the mud. In this startling and revelatory argument, Hyland shows not only that the evidence against Jefferson is lacking, but that in fact he is entirely innocent of the charge of having sexual relations with Hemings. Historians have the wrong Jefferson. Hyland, an experienced trial lawyer, presents the most reliable historical evidence while dissecting the unreliable, and in doing so he cuts through centuries of unsubstantiated charges. The author reminds us that the DNA tests identified Eston Hemings, Sally's youngest child, as being merely the descendant of a "Jefferson male." Randolph Jefferson, the president's wayward, younger brother with a reputation for socializing among the Monticello slaves, emerges as the most likely of several possible candidates. Meanwhile, the author traces the evolution of this rumor about Thomas Jefferson back to the allegation made by one James Callendar, a "drunken ruffian" who carried a grudge after unsuccessfully lobbying the president for a postmaster appointment---and who then openly bragged of ruining Jefferson's reputation. Hyland also delves into Hemings family oral histories that go against the popular rumor, as well as the ways in which the Jefferson rumors were advanced by less-than-historical dramas and by flawed scholarly research often shaped by political agendas. Reflecting both a layperson's curiosity and a lawyer's precision, Hyland definitively puts to rest the allegation of the thirty-eight-year liaison between Jefferson and Hemings. In doing so, he reclaims the nation's third president from the arena of Hollywood-style myth and melodrama and gives his readers a unique opportunity to serve as jurors on this enduringly fascinating episode in American history.

Author : Thomas Jefferson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 720 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 1953
Category : Agriculture
ISBN : OCLC:800070979

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Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book by Thomas Jefferson Pdf

Author : Barbara Chase-Riboud
Publisher : Chicago Review Press
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : African American women
ISBN : 9781556529450

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Sally Hemings by Barbara Chase-Riboud Pdf

A fictional account of the relationship between American statesman Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings.

Author : Mark Holowchak
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 298 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781616147297

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Framing a Legend by Mark Holowchak Pdf

No Marketing Blurb

Author : Clarence E. Walker
Publisher : University of Virginia Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2009-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780813929859

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Mongrel Nation by Clarence E. Walker Pdf

The debate over the affair between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings rarely rises above the question of "Did they or didn’t they?" But lost in the argument over the existence of such a relationship are equally urgent questions about a history that is more complex, both sexually and culturally, than most of us realize. Mongrel Nation seeks to uncover this complexity, as well as the reasons it is so often obscured. Clarence Walker contends that the relationship between Jefferson and Hemings must be seen not in isolation but in the broader context of interracial affairs within the plantation complex. Viewed from this perspective, the relationship was not unusual or aberrant but was fairly typical. For many, this is a disturbing realization, because it forces us to abandon the idea of American exceptionalism and re-examine slavery in America as part of a long, global history of slaveholders frequently crossing the color line. More than many other societies--and despite our obvious mixed-race population--our nation has displayed particular reluctance to acknowledge this dynamic. In a country where, as early as 1662, interracial sex was already punishable by law, an understanding of the Hemings-Jefferson relationship has consistently met with resistance. From Jefferson’s time to our own, the general public denied--or remained oblivious to--the possibility of the affair. Historians, too, dismissed the idea, even when confronted with compelling arguments by fellow scholars. It took the DNA findings of 1998 to persuade many (although, to this day, doubters remain). The refusal to admit the likelihood of this union between master and slave stems, of course, from Jefferson’s symbolic significance as a Founding Father. The president’s apologists, both before and after the DNA findings, have constructed an iconic Jefferson that tells us more about their own beliefs--and the often alarming demands of those beliefs--than it does about the interaction between slave owners and slaves. Much more than a search for the facts about two individuals, the debate over Jefferson and Hemings is emblematic of tensions in our society between competing conceptions of race and of our nation.

Author : Annette Gordon-Reed,Peter S. Onuf
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 400 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2016-04-13
Category : History
ISBN : 9781631490781

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"Most Blessed of the Patriarchs": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination by Annette Gordon-Reed,Peter S. Onuf Pdf

New York Times Bestseller Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle Finalist for the George Washington Prize Finalist for the Library of Virginia Literary Award A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection "An important book…[R]ichly rewarding. It is full of fascinating insights about Jefferson." —Gordon S. Wood, New York Review of Books Hailed by critics and embraced by readers, "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs" is one of the richest and most insightful accounts of Thomas Jefferson in a generation. Following her Pulitzer Prize–winning The Hemingses of Monticello¸ Annette Gordon-Reed has teamed with Peter S. Onuf to present a provocative and absorbing character study, "a fresh and layered analysis" (New York Times Book Review) that reveals our third president as "a dynamic, complex and oftentimes contradictory human being" (Chicago Tribune). Gordon-Reed and Onuf fundamentally challenge much of what we thought we knew, and through their painstaking research and vivid prose create a portrait of Jefferson, as he might have painted himself, one "comprised of equal parts sun and shadow" (Jane Kamensky).

Author : Del Sandeen
Publisher : Enslow Publishing, LLC
Page : 130 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2018-12-15
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN : 9780766098251

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Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings by Del Sandeen Pdf

To say that Thomas Jefferson was complicated would be an understatement. A founding father and third American president, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It said that "all men are created equal." Yet Jefferson owned slaves, including a woman named Sally Hemings with whom scholars believe he fathered several children. Some two hundred years after the birth of their first child, interest in Hemings and Jefferson has hardly died down. Movies, television shows, newspaper articles, and literature have been devoted to the pair. Jefferson's legacy has also suffered as details emerge about his ties to Hemings. Is he a man that Americans should respect? With the help of this fascinating book, readers will learn about the nature of Jefferson's connection to someone who was legally his property, and about his descendants, both black and white.

Author : Catherine Kerrison
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 450 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781101886243

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Jefferson's Daughters by Catherine Kerrison Pdf

Includes a partial Heming's family tree.

Author : Rebecca L. McMurry,James F. McMurry
Publisher : White Mane Publishing Company
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : UOM:39015055202462

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Anatomy of a Scandal by Rebecca L. McMurry,James F. McMurry Pdf

Through research with new sources and technology, the McMurrys seek out the origins and the historical development of the longest running presidential scandal in American history.