I have no trouble believing that a lonely widower could find some solace, perhaps even love, with a woman who was half-sister to his beloved late wife, and was said to look very much like her. We tend to focus on the fact that Sally Hemings was "black," and forget that she was apparently quite pale and had Caucasian features, as she was the daughter of Jefferson's father-in-law.
Our founding fathers don't all have to be perfect paragons to be worthy of our highest esteem and gratitude. If a man loves his late wife's half-sister, it may not be exemplary behavior, but is it the crime of the century? Is it so wrong that we have to expend millions of words protesting against the accusation?
I agree with you.
Great post. Well said.
Even if twas true, it is certain sure that her first child was no descendant of him. Later children we don't know if it was his or his brother.
I guess I am bugged because a black guy I met at a car wash claimed to be descended from Jefferson. I was sorry to inform him that there was no medical evidence that could distinguish between being a descendent of Thomas, or being a descendent of Randolph, who was widely known to frequent the slave cabins.
The odd thing is that the contemporary accusations occured before Sally Hemmings had any children, and after her first child was born (again, DNA analysis has shown that he was no descendant of any Jefferson) the charge was not renewed.
Boy, the feller was as angry as if I had called his mother a bad name.