#27: Sally Hemings – Emancipator of Her Children, Part I

Love what you hear? Send us fan mail!On July 15, 1787, 14 year old Sally Hemings arrived in Paris, France with Martha "Patsy" Jefferson. For the first time in her short life, she was on free soil. As a young woman owned by Thomas Jefferson, she'd never had the possibility of freedom in front of her before. She and her brother James were paid wages by Jefferson while in Paris, setting into motion a legacy she wouldn't see realized until 36 years later.Upon leaving Paris, Sally was pregnant with Jefferson's child. According to her son Madison, she refused to return to the United States with him. Sally agreed to return after Jefferson promised that she would receive "extraordinary privileges" and that her children would be freed at 21 years old. Sally had 4 children that survived to adulthood and in 1998 were proven by DNA evidence to be fathered by Thomas Jefferson. Come along with us as we explore the life of this extraordinary woman revealed by scientific evidence, debate, and a mother's love through history and astrology!This episode contains discussions of slavery, non-consensual sex, coercion, graphic violence, and abuse.                                                               Sources                 Articles: “Sally Hemings: Writing the Life of an Enslaved Woman” by Anette Gordon-Reed in The Routledge Companion to Black Women’s Cultural Histories"Slavery Legalized" by Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Virginia (https://vascw.org/cool_timeline/slavery-legalized/) "The Slaves' Story" (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/slaves/)  “Statement on the TJMF Research Committee Report on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings” by Daniel P. Jordan, Ph.D. (https://monticello-www.s3.amazonaws.com/files/old/inline-pdfs/jefferson-hemings_report.pdf) "Thomas Jefferson as Governor of Virginia" in Encyclopedia Virginia (https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/jefferson-thomas-as-governor-of-virginia/) "When the Past Speaks to the Present: Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings" by Annette Gordon-Reed (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/when-past-speaks-present-thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings) Books:Many Thousands Gone by Ira Berlin Reclamation by Gayle Jessup White Sally Hemings: Given Her Time by Leigh Fought Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy by Anette Gordon-Reed Digital Media:"The Founding Mothers, 2: Martha Jefferson & Sally Hemings" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDh5pWqBIxs) "Unearthing Sally Hemings' legacy at Monticello" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gm3HtijrMQ)Primary Sources:"An act concerning Servants and Slaves" (1705) (https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/an-act-concerning-servants-and-slaves-1705/) The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson"Jefferson Condemns the Slave Trade in the Declaration of Independence" (https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/jefferson-condemns-slave-trade-declaration-independence) “Laws of Virginia, Act XII (1662)” (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/origins-enslavement/laws-virginia-act-xii-1662) “The Memoirs of Madison Hemings” (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/cron/1873march.html) Websites:“The Life of Sally Hemings” (https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/) “Reproduction and Resistance” (https://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/hidden-voices/resisting-enslavement/reproduction-and-resistance) "Sally Hemings" (https://jamesedwardmills.substack.com/p/sally-hemmings)                                        Support Us!Patreon: patreon.com/MakingMythPodcastKofi: https://ko-fi.com/makingmythpodcast