Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson Essay.

The scandal started by a story published on the Recorder by Callender, on a Richmond newspaper. On that story Callender alleged that Thomas Jefferson had contracted a slave as his liaison, and he had fathered children with her during his years in Paris as the American Minister, (text, p.246). Also in the 1873 a skilled carpenter named Madison Hemings, told an Ohio news paper an oral tradition among his family. The oral tradition said that his mother had been Thomas Jeffersons concubine and that Jefferson had fathered all her children, (text, p.247). Years later Annette Gordon-Reed recommended a cross-examination between Thomas Jeffersons line of descendants and Eston Hemings descendants. A team of DNA research scientist headed by Eugene A. Foster discovered the exact match between those two lines of descendants, they tested it and showed that since the chance of such match occurring randomly was less than 1 in 1000, the evidence tested the probability that at least one of Sally Hemings son was Jeffersons. In addition fosters team found no DNA match between the Hemings line and the Carr family discrediting the assertions of Jeffersons white descendants. Besides all the conceptions times of Hemings pregnancy were the same as Jeffersons returns to Monticello, which showed that there was 99 percent that Jefferson was the father of all Hemingss sons (text, p. 248). The oral tradition in Hemingss family was similar to the scientific evidence found by the research, while the oral tradition in Jeffersons family was the opposite as the research results, (text, p.248).

Annette Gordon-Reed argued that all oral testimonies must be tested against the findings yielded by the documentary record and scientific research. She also argued that oral testimonies were no more or less reliable that the scientific research. She said that it should prompt future historians to scrutinize the oral testimonies of white masters as closely as they do the narratives of slaves and the oral traditions of their descendants, (text, p.248). In my opinion the scandals against an historic figure doesnt affect the great deeds they did, because those historic figures did much more good things, and affected other peoples lifes in a good way, besides an scandal is something that is not proven, it could be true but it can be false. Every person has errors, and other people cant judge other people decisions or acts without knowing their reasons behind their actions (personal opinion). In conclusion Thomas Jefferson was a great man, a great politician and he did a lot of good things that affected this nation, he would be always remembered as one of the most significant historic figures in U.S history. A scandal shouldnt affect his reputation, first of all because it havent been confirmed, and hes already dead and resting in peace, past is the past (personal opinion).

Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson By Daniel Miranda MWF 11:00-11:50