Sally Hemings Research Paper

851 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sally Hemmings-Thomas Jefferson relationship

Numerous arguments have emerged due to the idea that Thomas Jefferson had an affair with his slave, Sally Hemings. Such idea was thought to silly because in those days nobody thought that a white southern gentleman could have any relationship with his slaves. Could you expect Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers and having such respect among the American people would have a sexual relationship and bear children with his slave. A political journalist of Richmond newspaper named James T Callender put forward allegations that pointed a possibility of a sexual relationship and fathering some or all of Sally Heming’s children in. In this essay, we are going to look at this issue of Jefferson-Hemings controversy with the help of the DNA …show more content…

Firstly, DNA results had shown that the one of the males carrying the Jefferson Y chromosome fathered Eston Hemings. In addition, findings have shown that Sally Heming’s children bore a striking resemblance to Thomas Jefferson in that they had light skin. Moreover, Thomas Jefferson showed compassion towards the Hemings family by freeing all of them from slavery. During those time, no other slave families were given freedom which implies that Thomas Jefferson had connection with the Hemings. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello visitation patters matched the birth patterns of Sally Heming, which suggests for the claim that Thomas Jefferson fathered Sally Hemings children. Many historical reports have also shown that several people close to Jefferson or the Monticello community like John Hartwell Cocke, Jefferson’s friend, and formal Monticello slave Israel Gillette Jefferson have argued that Thomas Jefferson was the father of Sally Hemings children. Besides that, though there were other Jeffersons in that time carrying the same male Y chromosome, there is no documented presence of them at Monticello during Sally Hemings conception beside Thomas Jefferson. Moreover, Thomas Jefferson being a widow during the time of these events matters. They point to the possible causes of the behaviors of Thomas Jefferson. If Jefferson lacked the company that a wife or female friend would accord a man, then it proves why he behaved this

Show More
Related

  • Racial Injustice in the Book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    For Jefferson, racial injustice is present in court. Because of the color of his skin, Jefferson was automatically found guilty by those 12 men. “12 white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time without consulting one black person, Justice?” (157) The jury that decided his sentence was made up of 12 white men. Jefferson’s trial was unfair because the verdict was made by all white men. Jefferson was really just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but the biased jury saw him as guilty before finding any real evidence. This scene from court is an example of how Jefferson is treated unfairly because of the way he is viewed by others.

    Read More

  • Jane Long Research Paper

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    When most people think of Texas legacies they think of Sam Houston or Davy Crockett, but they don’t usually think of people like Jane Long. Jane Long is known as ‘The Mother of Texas’. She was given that nickname because she was the first english speaking woman in Texas to give birth.

    Read More

  • The Vast Influence of Thomas Jefferson

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Jeffersons Influence on the United States -Program No. 35.” VOA Learning English. n.p. n.d. Web. 25 March 2014.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Thomas Jefferson's From Notes on the State of Virginia

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “From Notes on the State of Virginia,” Thomas Jefferson includes some proposed alterations to the Virginia Laws and discusses some differences between blacks and whites. First, he describes one of the proposed revisions regarding slavery: All slaves born after the enactment of the alteration will be freed; they will live with their parents till a certain age, then be nurtured at public disbursement and sent out of state to form their own colonies such that intermarrying and conflicts can be avoided between blacks and whites. Next, Jefferson indicates some physical differences between blacks and whites, including skin color, hair, amount of exudates secreted by kidneys and glands, level of transpiration, structure in the pulmonary organ, amount of sleep, and calmness when facing dangers. As he notes, these differences point out that blacks are inferior to whites in terms of their bodies. In addition, Jefferson also asserts that the blacks’ reasoning and imagination are much inferior to the whites’ after he observes some of the art work and writings from the blacks. As a result, based on his observation, he draws a conclusion that whites are superior to blacks in terms of both body and mind. However, Jefferson’s use of hasty generalization, begging the question, and insulting language in his analysis is a huge flaw which ruins the credibility of his argument and offenses his readers.

    Read More

  • Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson Marriage

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    Interracial relationships were a very controversial idea in the American society when slavery began. If one were to have an interracial relationship it would be kept in the dark from society or a consequence was paid. The link between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson was Martha Wayles Jefferson. John Wayles was the father of both Martha Wayles and Sally Hemings, making them half-sisters. Martha Wayles also married Thomas Jefferson. “After the death of John Wayles and Martha Wayles, Thomas Jefferson inherited the ownership Hemings family and moved them to Monticello. This was the permanent living arrangement for the Hemings” (Sally Hemings’s Parisian Affair, Kelly Wilkens). This is where Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings relationship began. “Some speculate that due to their kinship, Hemings and Martha Jefferson may have looked very similar which could have been a key factor in Jefferson’s attraction to Sally Hemings” (Wilkens). Since there is no factual evidence in writing from either Thomas Jefferson or Sally Hemings, many people relied on other family members writings and used assumptions to draw conclusions about their relationship. Til this day, many people still have inconclusive evidence about their relationship and why it lasted a long time. Sally made the decision to continue a long term relationship with Thomas Jefferson, after a heavy evaluation of her options, her conditions and the little empowerment she had over Thomas Jefferson.

    Read More

  • Thomas "Fudge on his Vanilla" Jefferson

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thomas Jefferson by Norman Risjord is a biography of the third president of the United States that takes Thomas Jefferson from his youth through his later years in the early 19th century. The purpose of this book is to give a political and social overview of the Thomas Jefferson's life and career. It was written for both the student of American history and the casual reader interested in the genesis of the United States government, seen through the eyes of one of its founding fathers. The value of this book is that it shows that Jefferson was not a saint, yet he was one of the most intelligent presidents that the country has ever had. Risjord has given the book great value because he has framed Jefferson among his peers. Consequently, the book truly comes to life, and the reader is able to learn about Jefferson as well as his contemporaries James Madison, John Marshall, and John Adams.

    Read More

  • William Wells Brown and the Jefferson and Hemings Scandal

    1767 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rumors about the affair between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings were circulating on a small scale after Hemings gave birth to several children who were noticeably light-skinned. Visitors as early as 1796 to Monticello, Jefferson's home in Virginia, often noted, "Mr. Jefferson's [slaves] had neither in their color nor features a single trace of their origin" (Rothman 87). It was clear to many that the slave children at Monticello were the result of interracial sexual relationships. Not until James Callender made a public accusation in 1802, however, did the scandal make its way into the press.

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson

    2282 Words  | 5 Pages

    “As a boy, Thomas Jefferson’s was shy and often tongue-tied…Preferred the company of books to that of most people.” (Wilmore, 1) These were words to describe the young Jefferson; his childhood would prove to be a key in shaping the man, who through his words would change a nation. Jefferson was born on April 13th 1743, in Shadwell Virginia. During his childhood he would spend 15 hours each day reading and writing, this would prove to make his writing skills at a high level (1). As he grew into an adult he would study law in his home of Virginia at the William and Mary College at Williamsburg (Bottorff, 15). During this time he would become a member of the Whig party and would advocate for the rights and liberties of mankind (Peterson, 1). It was in his childhood and as turned into an adult which he learned how to write and how to express his political views through words. “For Thomas Jefferson, the pen truly was mightier than the sword. From his pen flowed some of the worlds most famous and influential words.” (Wilmore, 1) Truer words could not have been spoken about Jefferson’s because it was through his words which adv...

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Sally Hemings

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Renee wrote an article on the Feministe titled “Thomas Jefferson: The Face of a Rapist”, she makes the point, “Due to the patriarchal nature of gender relations, many men believe that they exist with the right to access women’s bodies and that is specifically grounded in the power imbalance between the genders.” Even more so, through the already demeaning relationship any black women could have with a white man, during slavery or otherwise, Jefferson publically made the point that he believed black men and women were intellectually inferior. He believed that they didn’t have the mental capacity to reach the level of supremacy that white men and women have reached. He believed this was rooted in their blood, and in their culture, that they were naturally pleasure driven individuals that did everything for the sake of sexual desire, or savage reasons. Did his thought process role over into his reasoning to begin a sexual relationship with one of the people he spoke so lowly about, and even purchased and treated as a

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson: Paradox of Slavery and Freedom

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    During that time 18th century slave holders did not want to be in trouble and therefore they owned slaves to make themselves free. Throughout his entire life, Thomas Jefferson was a consistent opponent of slavery.  Calling it a “moral depravity” and a “hideous blot,” he believed that slavery presented the greatest threat to the survival of the new American nation. Jefferson also thought that slavery was contrary to the laws of nature, which decreed that everyone had a right to personal liberty.  These views were radical in a world where unfree labor was the norm. While Jefferson contributed much to our American historical culture, he often comes under criticism for his support of and participation in the enslavement of African Americans. Jefferson,

    Read More

  • The Hemingses Analysis

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Her first part of the story is the origins of the family. She begins with Elizabeth Hemingses, whose father is a ship captain and her mother an African American. Her and her family were all property passed through the Eppeses, Randolphs, and Jefferson’s. She bore at least 12 children, 6 of which (including Sally) with her owner, John Wayles, whom become Jefferson’s father-in-law. Sally Hemings is the half-sister of Jefferson’s wife, Martha Wayles, who died in 1782. The Hemings family arrived in Monticello due in part to Martha’s inheritance, where her family all eventually found their way back to each other (Those that were still alive) She was a slave whose family was fortunate enough to stay in the same remote area. The “laws of property and slavery brought Elizabeth and her children present and future into that union. “(Page 102) Instead of being emancipated, all the Hemingses ended up as the property of Wayle’s son-in-law, Thomas Jefferson, and it was through him that the Wayles-Hemings children ”reaped the benefits of their paternity”. (Page 109). They were reunited at Monticello. The writer explains Jefferson at the beginning as “ambitious, respect for and adherence to as...

    Read More

  • What Were Thomas Jefferson's Major Accomplishments

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thomas Jefferson was one of the most prominent figures in his time, for he helped build the United States government to what it is today. In 1782, six years after the Declaration of Independence which he co-wrote, Jefferson wrote Notes on the State of Virginia. In there he explains “some of the most important reasons why emancipation never received serious consideration in southern legislatures”. Although Jefferson was an advocate of “individual liberty, he was also a slaveowner”, but believes that slavery is not right. The first idea proposed is to “emancipate all slaves born after the passing act”. This means that all slaves that were born after the act will live with their parents until “the females should be eighteen, and the males

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Jefferson And Sally Hemings

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    Was there any relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Heming? An American controversy which is persisted to the present day. As historians do, they let the dust rest for a while and then look at both sides of the issue to form any conclusion. Every historian has its own way of thinking an interpreting the event. Just like all other controversial historical topic, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings relationship has also been put through different perspectives. There is evidence that Sally Hemings had been his companion after his wife’s death. Little do we know, whose side this evidence is coming from? Jefferson’s advocates have strived to deny to the fact that he was in any sexual relationship with his slave Sally. Story is the same but historians perspectives has been changing over time.

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson Summary

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jefferson sought to find a wife who fit his social standards as well as ability to fill his heart. Jefferson gained more than love from his wife Martha. Like most prestigious men during his time who were fortunate enough to marry a women like from an honorable family, Martha come with an enormous inheritance. This not only propelled Jefferson in social status, but also helped him in politics given that he was already exceptionally influential. However, Jefferson’s marriage to Martha also brought him turmoil. Jefferson not only received one of the largest slave holdings in Virginia, but took on the enormous debt of his late father in law. Passing debt through your inheritance was a normal thing of that

    Read More

  • The Literary Merit of A Lesson Before Dying

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miss Emma, Jefferson’s Aunt, wants Jefferson to know that he is a human before he dies. She wi...

    Read More

More about Sally Hemings Research Paper

Open Document