A Family Get-Together of Historic Proportions (Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings?)

NY Times ^ | July 14, 2003 | JAMES DAO

[davisfh]

Interesting historical perspective. I was actually making a joke and didn't expect this level of detail. I was referring to George Jefferson, of course.

I apologize for having injected a bit of confusion into the forum.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Rudder]

That's why anyone who says Thomas Jefferson slept with Sally Hemings is speaking on the basis of something other than science.

I know some of the "extended Jefferson family" quite well. The belief is akin to a religious one, a prideful attitude and one that developed virtually exclusively within the black community of a couple hundred or so years back. As is the case with many issues, science will provide the facts, but people will provide the beliefs. The challenge from science is about as welcome to these putative descendants as would be Drawin at a creationsts assembly.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Very interesting. I actually watched this debated on CSPAN several years ago.

There were heated cries of "racism" being vollied forth from the black side.

But then as now, there is no conclusive evidence of Jefferson doing anything improper.

[Valin]

Anyone know just why Monticello Association has benn fighting this? I mean it was a long time ago.

[HAL9000]

Have you seen that 1995 movie "Jefferson in Paris"? It portrays the Jefferson-Hemmings relationship. It's about to be released on DVD.

Direct from Hollywood, here is Thomas Jefferson -

[presidio9]

Right. And Paul Revere warned the entire city of Boston of the British invasion...

[crazykatz]

Why should he have done that? Don't be silly. LOL

[Sabertooth]

Hollywood projects immorality everywhere they look, to justify its own.

[Rose in RoseBear]

Personally, I find what my ancestors lived through, and conquered, to be a testament to the human ability to survive. Those people were, to quote a fellow researcher, "blue twisted steel."

[connectthedots]

Maybe so, but inspirational stories don't have to be those within your family, so the fact that they may or may not be true of your early relatived does not make them trure for you.