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Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings: An American Controversy

annette gordon-reed

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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.

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.

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1,1997

This edition

Format
320 pages, Paperback
Published
March 29, 1998 by University of Virginia Press
ISBN
9780813918334
ASIN
0813918332
Language
English

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annette gordon-reed

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Rating(3.8 / 5.0, 87 votes)
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TheMercifulGuard
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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It's a very important book and it takes an interesting approach in it's dissection of the Jefferson/Hemmings liaison. Gordon-Reed tries to dissect the study of history as much as she tries to prove what really happened at Monticello. It makes an excellent point on how women, african americans, and the poor and disadvantaged are not represented fairly in the study of American History. It's far too muddled though and some chapters are nothing but rambling rants.
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AnimeZ0id
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Love and a woman of her word.

As I always say education is the key. Read and read more.
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AP817
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Written by a lawyer writing in a style you would expect from an investigative legal, logical mind.
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Ageeko
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Excellent book by Prof. Gordon-Reed. An important read for anyone interested in the history of the relationship between Jefferson and Hemmings or individuals who want to understand how the history of their relationship was distorted. In this book, Gordon-Reed carefully examines and explains both the evidence available and how the evidence came out and was used or ignored by previous commentators, newspapers, and historians at various points of time.

I also appreciated the added introduction discussing the DNA evidence that took place after this book was published. Due to this addition, we have scientific evidence that supports the conclusions drawn based on the documentary record Gordon-Reed drew on when the book was originally written.
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Liljonzen
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This is a fascinating book that examines the investigations, facts, writings and opinions of historians who have written about Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings. There were some surprises in family relationships (Martha Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson’s wife, and Sally shared the same father) and that Jefferson destroyed all his letters he wrote to Martha.
Like many powerful politicians, Jefferson has his defenders, who have attempted to convince readers that Jefferson & Hemings relationship was impossible and either discount or dismiss facts and testimony which would suggest otherwise.
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seanmagicalweeb
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Although, after recovering from the initial shock years ago, I have believed that Sally Hemings was Jefferson's long time mistress and mother of 4 surviving children. As a Jefferson fangirl, I decided to read this book because it was written by a well-respected, female, African-American law professor. Wise decision. Gordon-Read took the arguments of major historians--pro and con--and applied her own logic and research to them. Is anyone surprised that the noted (white male and dead) historians could not accept that their idol would do such a thing? The only shock for me was that Garry Wills (white and alive)(with whom I have a love hate relationship) totally lost it over the idea that Jefferson took Sally for his lover. If you know the whole story--it makes perfect sense on a human level. He promised his wife on her deathbed that he would never remarry. That would have been 42 long, lonely years had Sally (an octoroon) and step sister of his departed wife (they had the same white daddy and Sally's mom was his mistress) not been in the household. I hesitate to recommend this serious book but there may be lighter ones that treat Sally fairly. Make sure they're recent. Oddly enough, the author isn't quite as sure as I am that the story is true--even with the DNA tests that came after this book was published. Those tests (btw) prove that men claiming to be Sally's children were and their father was someone in the Jefferson line--but not necessarily Thomas. Take away--beware of getting your history of sacred cows from the undisputed champion biographers. By the 6th volume, they are too invested to dig for the truth--even if they mention it
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jhonnytest70
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Fascinating, in-depth analysis of the evidence surrounding Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings. Anyone interested in american history should pick up this book.
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HunTyson
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April 26,2025
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A masterful book. Since this was written in 1997, DNA testing has confirmed that Sally Hemings was NOT the mistress of any of the men in the Carr family. And the evidence available, now that it has been examined fairly and in detail by Annette Gordon-Reed, makes clear that she was very likely the loved mistress of Thomas Jefferson.

I'm glad I went to the appendices to read the memoirs of Madison Hemings, Sally's son, born in 1805 and freed by the terms of Jefferson's will in 1826. There are also the memoirs of Isaac Jefferson, another house slave at Monticello, written down in 1842 by the historian Charles Campbell, and the statement of Israel Jefferson, also a house slave, born in 1800 and thus a contemporary of Madison Hemings, made to the Pike County (Ohio) Republican. Reading these testimonies and hearing the voices of the witnesses goes a long way to enlivening Gordon-Reed's discussion of the available facts.

I find it comprehensible that Jefferson specialists have bent over backward to discredit and avoid the implications of the evidence for this situation, since I grew up about an hour and a half from Charlottesville in the 1950s. As a child I visited Monticello several times and remember the official story of those days - we never even realized that Jefferson kept slaves! Some of us would have been horrified. Jefferson was presented as a scientist, interested in everything new and experimental as well as in farming. As a human being, you got little or no idea of what he was like, except that he was very intelligent and loved France and all things French. That did impress me.

Gordon-Reed gives full credit to Fawn Brodie for "breaking the story," so to speak, in such a way that it couldn't be ignored - and yet it was ignored, and she was vilified, because the South would much prefer to guard myths about its heroes. Especially in Virginia, miscegenation was swept securely under the rug. Yet the facts speak clearly. Almost as distressing as the vilification of Sally Hemings (who must have been an extraordinary woman in intellect and self-control as well as beauty, and who was related by blood to Jefferson's first wife, who went with his youngest daughter to France and by all accounts was well received there) is the vilification of the witnesses to the real situation and the omission of the facts in most of the historical accounts. Dumas Malone alone struggled to reconcile the conflict, but he ended by just omitting most of it. I've tried to read his books and failed. It's much too one-sided an approach for me. Gordon-Reed tries to understand all points of view, and she respects him greatly as an historian but makes totally clear how short he fell on exploring this issue.

There are lots of videos available on YouTube now, one of a long interview with Gordon-Reed which is great to watch. If I ever need a lawyer, I'd go to her. She is unstoppable and her logic and patience in unraveling evidence is without peer. I'm now interested to read more about the Hemings family - she has more books - since they were by all accounts worthy descendants of Jefferson and extremely interesting in their own right.
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