I haven’t been to Monticello for a number of years. I am a 1st Cousin of President, many, many time removed (His grandfather is one of my many grand fathers). The nonsense that comes out of Monticello matches the propaganda from the White House,
I am certainly related to the children of Sally Hemmings as is President Thomas Jefferson, but the notion that Thomas Jefferson was their father is wild speculation and probably not true. Jefferson’s brother was the most likely suspect, but since he is not famous, he was rejected by the great slightly darkened skin tones amazing historians.
A son of Sally Hemmings, a son of Madison Hemmings is buried right here in the Leavenworth National Cemetery, but the great masters of the political correctness nonsense will not permit a DNA analysis. Such an analysis will not resolve the issue, but will certainly shed light upon it and therefore cannot be permitted.
Were white slave owners fornicating with young and buxom female slaves? No doubt, but if Jefferson was doing it with Sally Hemmings, why do we have none offspring of that liaison when they were both in Paris and not subject to prying eyes and open ears. Only after they both returned to Monticello did Hemmings present with child. Exactly who was in that woodpile, Hmmmm?
Would the US ambassador to France really be all that free from prying eyes? Sally Hemmings was 14 when she went to Paris and 16 when she left. Maybe Jefferson waited until she was older.
I agree that there's no ironclad proof the children were Jefferson's, but people may have gotten tired of picking this or that one of your other relatives and putting all the blame on him so as to spare Jefferson the embarrassment of illegitimate children.
When it turned out that the neither of the Carr brothers was the father of Sally's children, people were reluctant to go on playing the same game, to pick out some other relative who hadn't previously been a suspect just to preserve Jefferson's reputation.
The film I saw was actually rather fair to both Thomas Jefferson and Ms. Hemmings. I guess we will never know the real story.
One thing I didn't know was that Jefferson was actually opposed to slavery. He inherited his slaves from his father, but under the law at that time, he could have been prosecuted if he tried to free his slaves. There are indications he was good to his slaves and his opposition to slavery is documented. He ultimately did free a couple of his slaves during his life and in his will he freed several others upon his death.
These are stories on the official Monticello website, but most have been corroborated by other sources.