Title

Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings : an American controversy

Description

Rumors of Thomas Jefferson's sexual involvement with his slave Sally Hemings have circulated for two centuries. It remains, among all aspects of Jefferson's renowned life, perhaps the most hotly contested topic. With Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, Annette Gordon-Reed promises to intensify this ongoing debate as she identifies glaring inconsistencies in many noted scholars' evaluations of the existing evidence. She has assembled a fascinating and convincing argument: not that the alleged thirty-eight-year liaison necessarily took place but rather that the evidence for its taking place has been denied a fair hearing.--BOOK JACKET. "Possessing both a layperson's unfettered curiosity and a lawyer's logical mind, Annette Gordon-Reed writes with a style and compassion that are irresistible. Her analysis is accessible, with each chapter revolving around a key figure in the Hemings drama. The resulting portraits are engrossing and very personal. Gordon-Reed also brings a keen intuitive sense of the psychological complexities of human relationships - relationships that, in the real world, often develop regardless of status or race. The most compelling element of all, however, is her extensive and careful research, which often allows the evidence to speak for itself."--BOOK JACKET.

Identifier

849639

813916984

Creator

Gordon-Reed, Annette

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

1997

Program air date: February 21, 1999

Publisher

University Press of Virginia

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Notes on front endpapers provide some details on Jefferson and Hemings, questions about the naming of children, and a list of authors whose works Gordon-Reed explores. Lamb circles some names on the genealogical tables. Notes/Underlinings: Author's interest in Jefferson, study of slavery. James Calleder and Jefferson. Carr brothers. Miscegenation. Details on Heming's family. Questions/details of relationships between masters and slaves.

Subject

"Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826--Relations with women."

"Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826--Relations with slaves."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Rights

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