
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
An American Controversy
No se pudo agregar al carrito
Add to Cart failed.
Error al Agregar a Lista de Deseos.
Error al eliminar de la lista de deseos.
Error al añadir a tu biblioteca
Error al seguir el podcast
Error al dejar de seguir el podcast

Compra ahora por $21.49
-
Narrado por:
-
Allyson Johnson
When Annette Gordon-Reed's groundbreaking study was first published, rumors of Thomas Jefferson's sexual involvement with his slave Sally Hemings had circulated for two centuries. Among all aspects of Jefferson's renowned life, it was perhaps the most hotly contested topic. The publication of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings intensified this debate by identifying glaring inconsistencies in many noted scholars' evaluations of the existing evidence. In this study, Gordon-Reed assembles a fascinating and convincing argument: not that the alleged 38-year liaison necessarily took place but rather that the evidence for its taking place has been denied a fair hearing.
Friends of Jefferson sought to debunk the Hemings story as early as 1800, and most subsequent historians and biographers followed suit, finding the affair unthinkable based upon their view of Jefferson's life, character, and beliefs. Gordon-Reed responds to these critics by pointing out numerous errors and prejudices in their writings, ranging from inaccurate citations, to impossible time lines, to virtual exclusions of evidence - especially evidence concerning the Hemings family. She demonstrates how these scholars may have been misguided by their own biases and may even have tailored evidence to serve and preserve their opinions of Jefferson.
©1997 the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















Las personas que vieron esto también vieron:














Well researched and thought out....
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
Methodical & Thorough
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
In that way, it tells us as much about ourselves as it does about Hemmings and Jefferson.
A Full Review of the Relationship between Hemmings and Jefferson
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
Fantastic!
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
Just people
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
what stood out most about the book was the authors ability to take into account the underlying historical context
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
Well-Done Historical Debate
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
By Annette Gordon-Reed
I highly recommend this book. And I recommend it be read (or listened to) with an open mind. That can be difficult at times, as the author’s bias on the subject is glaringly obvious.
Before I comment further on that, let me say that of the “controversy”, whether Thomas Jefferson fathered children with his slave Sally Hemings, I am convinced that he did.
So, I agree with professor Gordon-Reed. The bias comes in to play inasmuch as when she is making her case, she comments frequently about other historians making wild assumptions and shaping their arguments around their desired outcomes, rather than following evidence. The problem is that the author then proceeds to do exactly what the same thing, also dropping in politically correct key words often.
That said, I really enjoyed the book and all of the various circumstances which we will forever be left to speculate about because the details were hidden by the Jefferson family.
One big question is whether it was possible that Thomas and Sally loved each other. Did he just demand sex every time he wanted it from her for the 38 years they carried on their affair? Or did they have to hide a romance because of the times they lived in? We will never know. Some indications for me is the fact that Sally was the half sister of Jefferson’s first wife… Sally was the product of a slave owner conceiving children with one of his slaves also. It was common for a man who lost his wife to marry one of her sisters in that time. How much did Sally resemble Jefferson’s first wife? Did she have Martha’s laugh? Her mannerisms? Her intellect?
There are endless possibilities we will never get answers to. Professor Gordon-Reed cautions, correctly, against applying 21st century mores to this 18th century story. But it occurs to me, at least for the first child Sally bore him, today we would not be discussing interracial sexual relations, we would be investigating a statutory rape. So yes, the times were different.
Suggested read
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.
There are better books on the topic.
Painful
Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.