Jefferson and Hemings: A Hidden Legacy

A founding father and U.S. president secretly fathered multiple children with Sally

Hemings, an enslaved woman he owned. For generations, this was denied,

dismissed as rumor, or blamed on others. Hemings herself had no legal voice — she was property

under the law. In the late 20th century, DNA evidence confirmed that Thomas Jefferson

was the father of her children. The revelation forced a reckoning with the reality behind

the myth: a president who spoke of liberty while holding human beings in bondage.

The extreme power imbalance head of state and enslaved woman makes this one of the most

unsettling truths in American history.