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SALLY HEMINGS AND JEFFERSON'S MORAL CHARACTER
> Thank you for this page on the history and life of Thomas >Jefferson. It has come to my attention and question of the morality and >character of Thomas Jefferson. I personally have not read much history except >what is associated with the "Declaration of Independance" > I have always thought of Jefferson to be a person of high morals and >character, but that has been questioned by some now. I have heard some to say >boldly that Jefferson had a 'colored mistress' and now that some bodies are >being exumed to determine if they were his children by this mistress. > Could you please verify with documentational resources if this is >ture or a mere mocking of a man's great character. > Thank you awaiting your reply. Thank you for visiting the website. I will try to answer your questions, though the answers may not be all you might wish to have. It is often impossible to prove that accusations are NOT so. That is one reason why our law requires that a person be considered innocent until proved guilty. As Jefferson himself wrote, "The proof of a negative can only be presumptive." --Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1819. ME 15:206 Jefferson's morality and character have been questioned and vilified from the very beginning. This is not a recent phenomenon. Rather than having to prove his accusers' charges false, however, it is -- and should be -- incumbent upon THEM to prove their accusations. Anyone, after all, can make accusations. When examined carefully, all the accusations to date have been based on the flimsiest of speculations: Hearsay, innuendo, suppositions, questions, speculations, but never any real, substantial evidence. A fair and reasonable person would dismiss such garbage until someone came up with something worthy of credence. All of this is tabloid journalism. It is useful for selling books, and the more daring and outrageous the accusations, the greater the character of the man being assailed, the more notoriety gained and the more books sold. As for Mr. Jefferson's character and integrity, I have recently completed reading the 20 volume set of his writings, and I can say that his positions on every facet of politics and government were absolutely pure. There is no fudging, no duplicity, and not the slightest hint of self-serving evasion. Here is a man who served his country brilliantly, and without a single regard to his own interests. Comparing him to his accusers is like comparing a work of art to a garbage can. I could go into more detail on these accusations to show their absurdity: besides miscegenation, they accuse Jefferson of carnal knowledge and of having TWO love affairs at the same time (Sally Hemings and Maria Cosway). I might add that Sally Hemings' children were said to be possibly fathered by some other member of the Jefferson household, so that examining their DNA could never be conclusive, assuming Jefferson shared similar genes with other members of his family. But I believe it is pointless to waste time on this kind of swill sampling. Even if the accusations were true, Thomas Jefferson would still be one of the great minds of this millenium, and the chief intellectual founder of American self-government. That is what is important. Best wishes, Eyler Coates