Why read Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings?

Book cover of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy

Book description

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…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ann Little

Author

Not a biography in the strict sense, this book is an investigation into “an American controversy” by a legal scholar that demonstrates the value of historical research and analysis by showing how Jefferson’s grandchildren, and white scholars and biographers following their lead, effectively conspired to hide the truth of Jefferson’s 30+ relationship with a woman he owned. And Gordon-Reed published this book a full year before the DNA-based analysis showed that Jefferson was overwhelmingly likely to have been the only father to Hemings’s four children.

From Ann's list on biographies of American women.