
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
An American Controversy
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Allyson Johnson
When Annette Gordon-Reed's groundbreaking study was first published, rumors of Thomas Jefferson's sexual involvement with his slave Sally Hemings had circulated for two centuries. Among all aspects of Jefferson's renowned life, it was perhaps the most hotly contested topic. The publication of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings intensified this debate by identifying glaring inconsistencies in many noted scholars' evaluations of the existing evidence. In this study, Gordon-Reed assembles a fascinating and convincing argument: not that the alleged 38-year liaison necessarily took place but rather that the evidence for its taking place has been denied a fair hearing.
Friends of Jefferson sought to debunk the Hemings story as early as 1800, and most subsequent historians and biographers followed suit, finding the affair unthinkable based upon their view of Jefferson's life, character, and beliefs. Gordon-Reed responds to these critics by pointing out numerous errors and prejudices in their writings, ranging from inaccurate citations, to impossible time lines, to virtual exclusions of evidence - especially evidence concerning the Hemings family. She demonstrates how these scholars may have been misguided by their own biases and may even have tailored evidence to serve and preserve their opinions of Jefferson.
©1997 the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















People who viewed this also viewed...











Well researched and thought out....
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Methodical & Thorough
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In that way, it tells us as much about ourselves as it does about Hemmings and Jefferson.
A Full Review of the Relationship between Hemmings and Jefferson
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fantastic!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Just people
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
what stood out most about the book was the authors ability to take into account the underlying historical context
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well-Done Historical Debate
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
There are better books on the topic.
Painful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.