THE STORY OF Sally Hemings 

Read the The Hemings-Jefferson Treaty and view the following video from PBS Newshour (8 minutes) segment.

Please then answer the following 2 questions:

1. Why should the story of Sally Hemings be told as part of the history of Monticello?

2. “In 2000, Monticello published a report on DNA and other evidence of Jefferson’s paternity of Hemings’ six children, four of whom survived to adulthood. That and work by leading scholars helped bring public acceptance. Some doubters remain, but experts and Monticello itself now consider this a settled matter.” Why do you think this doubt exists on the part of some members of the public? What role does scientific evidence play in this matter?

Answer preview

Sally Hemings is one name that had initially gone down history without recognition despite its relevance to the history of America. Sally was a slave to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. For the longest time, rumor has had it that Thomas Jefferson had sired six of her children (PBS NewsHour, 2018). This has recently come to be confirmed as true by researchers that went an extra mile to look into the Sally Hemings story. This story is a relevant part of American history as it brings some important aspects of history to light. The main reason this story…

 

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