Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed about Thomas Jefferson: From Sally Hemmings to His "Deism"

What kind of criticism would prompt a major publisher to withdraw from circulation a New York Times bestseller by a recognized scholar? One would think the objections would have to be weighty and the critics unquestioned experts in the particular field. In the case of "The Jefferson Lies", one would be mistaken to make those assumptions.

In 2012, David Barton's popular analysis of Thomas Jefferson was pulled by the book's publisher, Thomas Nelson, based on what appears to have been an academic putsch designed to protect the now popular view of the third president as a secular deist and hypocritical slave-holding philanderer. This uprising was led by a motley intellectual crew who, for the most part, had little or no expertise in the subject matter at issue.

The re-release of The Jefferson Lies by WND Books begins with an extended preface in which the author discusses the largely picayune objections raised against his original work – primarily by a psychology professor from Grove City College, Warren Throckmorton. These somewhat arcane refutations should have been placed at the end of the work – allowing Barton's clear and convincing evidence to speak first for itself. That evidence primarily concerns "lies" about Jefferson's relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings, "lies" about Jefferson's supposed hypocrisy vis-à-vis slavery, "lies" about the ex-president's position concerning the separation of church and state, and "lies" related to Jefferson's religious beliefs.

Barton's most startling revelation concerns the brazenly dishonest claim that DNA evidence proved that Jefferson fathered one of Sally Hemings's children. This blockbuster story in Nature magazine (November 5, 1998) was splashed with gusto all over the national media. The retraction of this "proof" came eight weeks later – with all the impact of an obscure page 16 correction.

Before Annette Gordon-Reed, Fawn Brodie argued for Jefferson being the father of Sally Hemings' children. (Sally was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife who had died before any of Sally's children were born.) Brodie did turn up some interesting evidence: in 1870 one of Sally's children, Madison Hemings, told the census taker that he was the son of Thomas Jefferson (the census taker wrote that information in the margin of the page--I have seen the census record), and the same Madison Hemings was interviewed by a newspaper which reported his claim to be Jefferson's son. In fact, two lineages of Sally's descendants preserved an oral tradition that Jefferson was their ancestor.

Before 1998, Jefferson scholars tended to favor the theory that Sally's children were fathered by one of Jefferson's nephews (two brothers surnamed Carr).

The DNA showed that at least one of Sally's children had Jefferson DNA--but that could be from Jefferson himself, his brother, or other relatives with the Jefferson surname. Another lineage of Sally's children appeared to have Carr DNA but that got swept under the rug because the new orthodoxy was that Thomas Jefferson fathered all of Sally's children.

What we do know is that at least one of Sally's children had Jefferson DNA, but I think it is mainly the combination of that and the oral tradition among her descendants which produces the readiness to say Thomas Jefferson was the father rather than one of his close relatives.

Madison Hemings would not have known for sure--all he knew was what his mother told him, assuming he was telling what he thought was the truth. But perhaps his mother said "Thomas Jefferson's brother was your father" but he preferred to claim Thomas Jefferson himself. Who knows?

As I recall, the publication date of the DNA study was moved up so it would come out before the 1998 elections--to try to make Bill Clinton's affair with Monica seem less serious because "look at what Jefferson did! All Presidents do things like that!"

Before 1998, Jefferson scholars tended to favor the theory that Sally's children were fathered by one of Jefferson's nephews (two brothers surnamed Carr).

I believe paternity has been proven by the fact that there is no record of Randolph being there during her conception times but Thomas Jefferson WAS there. He owned her. Her’s is the only family he freed.

So for me, it’s settled.

If you are arguing it from the standpoint that Jefferson was such a good man that he could never do that, then it seems to fly in the face of logic to believe that on his brother’s I frequent visits that Jefferson would allow him to rape his maid and that each and every time produced a baby.

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