Even now, at 64 years of age, I am still constantly learning new things. I discover new things about a variety of topics but more than anything is facts about US history. I spent twelve years in Catholic school and several more years studying on college a great deal of US history. Schoolwork came easy to me, I didn’t know early in life but discovered in my Air Force career that I had an eidetic memory, total recall so to speak. This leads me to where I am today, which is not what I was taught, but what I wasn’t taught.
I have decided that every Friday, I am going to put information that isn’t readily know or taught to students today.
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, and who orchestrated the Louisiana Purchase had a flaw in his stance on slavery. Thomas Jefferson strongly condemned slavery and the slave trade in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, calling it a “cruel war against human nature” and an “execrable commerce,” blaming King George III for imposing it; however, this passage was removed from the final version due to objections from Southern colonies (like South Carolina and Georgia) and Northern delegates, requiring a compromise for unity, though a slight allusion. When Jefferson passed away on July 4, 1826 (same day as John Adams), he still owned on 600 slaves, who were sold off to pay off his debt.
This leads me to today’s topic, Sally Hemings. Have you heard that name before? Most people haven’t. Sally Hemings was an enslaved woman at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, known for her lifelong relationship with him and bearing him several children, a connection confirmed by DNA evidence, solidifying her place as a significant, yet often silenced, figure in American history. Thomas Jefferson’s children with Sally Hemings (Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston) were born enslaved under Virginia law, but they received privileged training in skilled trades and were freed by Jefferson later in life but still kept hundreds of slaves on Monticello.
I reviewed several histories textbooks and never found any mention of Sally Hemings. Why isn’t this taught in school at any level? Should students learn everything about our founding fathers or just the good things? This is Sally Hemings.
