Thomas Jefferson, Relationship W/ Sally Hemings

Born on April 13, 1743 to Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph on their Shadwell Plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was born into opportunity. Bother of his parents were leading citizens, his mother came from a leading Virginia family and his father was a successful landholder and explorer. They were capable to provide their son with excellent educational opportunities and no financial burdens, let alone did they know that their hard work would soon create an American president.

Jefferson was given an excellent education throughout his youth, by way of private education. He emerged himself in his studies learning Latin and Greek, and then going onto attend William and Mary in Williamsburg Virginia, all this by the young age of 17. Jefferson was a brilliant scholar and while he studied, he was surro

Jefferson studied law and was admitted to the bar at the age of 24. Although, law only provided for part of his earnings, he earned much of his wealth by the income from his lands. This wealth was increased, when he married Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772. Jefferson owned over 10,000 acres of land, and from 100 to 200 slaves. Although he held in opposition to slavery, his proposals to abolish it within the state of Virginia failed. He was described as an especially kind man to his slaves.

The love story of Thomas and Martha is great, it was said they arrived at Monticello in a late January snowstorm their new home, with no food or fire, and servants that were asleep. So with joy, laughter, and a half-bottle of wine, the two seemed to hold enough strength within that night, that they would be able to endure any adversity. They soon gave birth to five children, in which two only lived to grow up. The physical strain of frequent pregnancies, weakened Martha Jefferson’s health, so Thomas Jefferson postponed and curtailed his political activities to stay home with wife. With British invasions, Martha and Thomas were forced to leave their home, and barely escaped the raid of Monticello. As month’s passes by, Martha grew weaker with every day and on September 6th passed away. It was recorded within Jefferson’s account book, “My dear wife died this day at 11:45A.M.”

Many relatives of Jefferson deny his relationship with Sally Hemings, but Jefferson himself never denied their relationship. Jefferson held many detailed records of his relationship with his slaves, which provided overwhelming evidence of the nature of his relationship with Sally Hemings. When Jefferson died, Sally was their a this death bed, this mistress for over 37 years was by his side until he passed on. Within Jefferson’s will, Sally’s name along with her son’s were listed and provided for. All 187 slaves were auctioned off, but Sally was not because everyone knew, she had been the president’s mistress.

“Mr. Jefferson was always very kind and indulgent to his servants... He would hardly ever allow one of them to be whipped” state Captain Edmund Bacon, who served as chief overseer of slaves and working plantation at Monticello. With this in mind, it is even more intriguing, the relationship with Jefferson and Hemings.

In 1801, Jefferson became the third president of the United States of America. He had been a widower for 19 years now, and finally became more comfortable being in the public’s eye, having more capability of handling social affairs as political matters. He occasionally called upon Dolley Madison for assistance and it was his daughter Patsy--now Mrs. Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. --who appeared as the lady of the President’s House in 1802-1803, when she spent seven weeks there. She cam back to the home in 1805 -1806, and gave birth to a son names James Madison, the first child to be born in the White House. It was Patsy Randolph with her family who shared Jefferson’s retirement at Monticello until he died there.

So who was this slave mistress? The relationship between Sally Hemings and Jefferson, was either brutal domination or maybe the greatest love story never told. The

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