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In Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemings Controversy - Historical Analysis & Political Legacy for American History Enthusiasts
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In Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemings Controversy - Historical Analysis & Political Legacy for American History Enthusiasts
In Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemings Controversy - Historical Analysis & Political Legacy for American History Enthusiasts
In Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemings Controversy - Historical Analysis & Political Legacy for American History Enthusiasts
$12.15
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Description
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.
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5
Did Jefferson do it? Contrary to popular culture, the results are shown by the author as inconclusive. This book is well-written, and unlike anti-Jefferson books deals with facts rather than turning the entire affair into a soap-opera.Books written thusfar have depended on DNA evidence taken from Jefferson's grandfather, so by the rules of evidence, the grandfather must be the father. Otherwise, thirty other Jefferson decendants must be taken into account. The eyewitnesses must be heard, but their testimony must also be questioned, as should all others. Since, as the author points out, we have no idea what Jefferson's brother Randolph looks like, nor any other visiting relation, it is reasonable to assume that any one of them may have resembled Jefferson and are suspect.Statements countering that the case may be made on the strength of the eyewitnesses alone are quick to discount evidence to the contrary, not the least of which is that the original accusations were made by a political enemy of Jeffersons, as well as taking into account his extreme age the fact that no one ever even heard him refer to Hemmings in any otehr way except as "Polly's maid". The two were never seen together, not even on Jefferson's deathbed as had been suggested by the prosecution..Did Jefferson own slaves? Absolutely! Did he abuse them? We have no evidence, and to say that since he owned slaves and he was white, he must have...is in itself racist.There are no other facts to support the conclusions to the contrary. The prosecution depends on the rules of negative evidence to prove their case, citing love letters never proven to exist, secret stairwells that has never been shown in any plans of Monticello, as well as other points.Also, we only have one Hemmings decendant out of six saying that Jefferson was the father, does not prove that he fathered the other five children. The prosecution's case hinges on the fact that Sally Hemmings was black, therefore she is by default virtuous and could only have been with one man. This hypothesis may be countered by watching any episode of late of the "Maury Povich" show.The author points out that his account does not exonerate Jefferson, but the case would be thrown out of any modern day court of law for lack of evidence.I should like to point out that it would not be beyond the realm of possibility to consider that arguemtns counter to this book may be made by sources with a political or personal agenda that would love to use one of the founding fathers to become noteworthy or to further that agenda.

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