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Sally Hemings Jefferson Research Paper

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Thomas Jefferson is a well-known name in the United States history. Thomas Jefferson accomplished many goals and ideas during his lifespan. He was a founding father, he wrote the Declaration of Independence and serve as president for 2 terms from 1801 to 1809. During his first term as president, there was speculation of him having a relationship with Sally Hemings a slave. As of today, it is still unknown if it was true and if he was the father of 6. For two centuries there has been disagreement with this controversy however, there has been DNA test on Thomas Jefferson’s male descendants and Sally Hemings relatives and the real answer is still undiscovered.
In September of 1802, a political journalist James T. Callender published an article. In which he claimed Thomas Jefferson had a sexual relationship with Sally Hemmings a slave and even had children. Being the president the article spread all around quickly. Sally Hemings was a slave at Monticello. She was the half-sister of Thomas Jefferson’s wife Martha Jefferson, her father had a relationship with Sally Hemings mother and had her. She was described by other slaves as “light skinned” and could have passed as white. Hemings became Jefferson's property by an …show more content…

The DNA test did not exactly prove that Jefferson was the father of Hemings’ children, it only proved that Heming’s children father was a Jefferson. On the DNA test scientist noted that there is less than one percent probability is due to chance. Also Sally Hemings was not freed after Jefferson’s death. Martha, Jefferson’s daughter permitted Sally Hemings to leave in 1826 not long after Thomas Jefferson's death. Thomas Jefferson wrote letters to the Secretary of the Navy but those letters were gone, many indicated those letters told the truth about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings

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