Description

It is accepted by most scholars that Thomas Jefferson had a lengthy affair with his slave Sally Hemings and fathered at least one of her children—a conclusion based on a 1998 DNA study published in Nature, the findings of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, and the work of historian Annette Gordon-Reed.

Did Jefferson really have an affair with Hemings? Could the “experts” be wrong?

“Framing a Legend: Exposing the Distorted History of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings” is a penetrating critical analysis of Thomas Jefferson’s claimed affair with slave Sally Hemings. In this probing book, Jeffersonian scholar M. Andrew Holowchak analyzes the works of the most celebrated pro-paternity scholars: Fawn Brodie, Annette Gordon-Reed, and Andrew Burstein. Labeling their views as “three prominent spins,” Holowchak points out the many fallacies in their works and decisively refutes their conclusions.

Holowchak then delves into what we know about Thomas Jefferson’s character. He shows that the historical facts do not suggest any romantic interest on Jefferson’s part in Hemings or in any other of his female slaves. Turning to the genetic evidence, Holowchak notes that, though DNA analysis indicates the presence of a Y-chromosome from some Jefferson male in the Hemings family line, it is wrong to conclude that this must have come from Thomas Jefferson, as the DNA is consistent with many other possible fathers. Finally, Holowchak discusses Jefferson’s views on race, which also argue against a liaison.