[Tell It Right]

I read years ago that the entirety of the evidence we have of Jefferson having kids through Hemmings came from only Jefferson's political opponents. Imagine if someone two centuries from now pointed to ramblings from Trump's political opponents as "proof" that Trump was a Russian operative. (Likewise if someone centuries from now pointed to statements from Hillary's operatives or Trump as "proof" that Obama was born in Kenya.) And if that "knowledge" stuck and became repeated until it was really believed centuries from now as "common knowledge" that Trump was a Russian operative.

That's what the Hemmings story is like. Jefferson's opponents went around saying, "You know Jefferson is a widower and gets lonely. Why, they say he's actually fallen in love with his slave woman. He even takes her to galas with her dressed to the nine's and introduces her not as his servant, but his girlfriend! Is this who you want running your country? He even takes her abroad and does this!! What a horrible representation of our country! Some say he'd marry her if the state would allow it!!!"

Of course, if those allegations were true then today we'd say that Jefferson was ahead of his time. Me, I don't want to give Jefferson credit for that part because, again, I read years ago that the entirety of the Hemmings story came from Jefferson's political opponents anyway. So I neither shame him for it (today's Jefferson haters go so far as to say he raped her) nor applaud him for it (if as the original rumor tellers say it he was ahead of his time for being color blind in love). The source of the information is questionable at best, flat out lies at worst.

[Reily]

Also this got hyped during the time of Slick Willie’s serial sexual escapades.

As I remember the DNA evidence regarding Jefferson to male members of Jefferson’s family. If I remember this right he had brother - Peter, who had a local rep of dalliance with the servants. Given that the weight of guilt falls on him.