Sally Hemings

Thomas Jefferson. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. He led the Louisiana Purchase. Oh, and he was also a disgusting slave owner who owned over 600 human beings. Though he’s a major character in this story, it’s not him I’m here to talk about. I’m here to tell you about Sally Hemings, his “mistress.”

But let’s be real, mistress is a purposefully misleading word. It implies a consensual, romantic relationship between two adults. The truth is, Sally was Jefferson’s slave. We don’t know how she felt about him, but we know a consensual relationship with that power dynamic is impossible. Not to mention she was 14 and he was in his mid 40s when they started their sexual relationship. Yikes.

Young Sally came to Monticello when she was about six years old in 1774, as a part of an inheritance Jefferson received from his father-in-law. In fact, Sally and Jefferson’s wife Martha were actually half-sisters, though she would be considered property, not family. But this shows how common the sexual exploitation of enslaved people was at this time.

Sally worked inside the estate, learning domestic skills and looking after Jefferson’s daughter. In 1787, Jefferson became the American Ambassador to France and moved to Paris, taking Sally with him. It was shortly after they arrived that a sexual relationship ensued. Reminder: Sally was only 14.

After five years, it was time for Jefferson to move back to the States. Sally could have petitioned the French government for her freedom, but instead returned to Monticello with Jefferson — but under one condition: any children they wound up having together would be freed once they reached adulthood. Sally negotiated to ensure that her children would live a better life.

And they did indeed have children together — six of them. Four of them made it to adulthood and were freed just as promised. Despite growing up enslaved, Sally’s kids were taught important practical skills that would help them get jobs and survive when they were freed.

While Sally was technically never emancipated, in 1822 she was allowed to go off and live with her freed children for the rest of her days.

Now let’s fast-forward a bit. Up to the 20th century, a lot of people who wanted to preserve Jefferson’s image denied that he sexually exploited Sally and had children with her. Those who claimed to be descendants of the two weren’t taken seriously, and the Monticello Estate especially didn’t show them the respect they deserved. That’s where DNA testing comes in. In 1998 Dr. Eugene Foster conducted DNA tests that ultimately proved a genetic connection between Sally’s descendants and Thomas Jefferson.

Today, the Monticello Estate has updated their programming to provide a more truthful history of Jefferson. They restored Sally’s room in the estate and created a fantastic From Slavery to Freedom tour, which explore the lives of the enslaved people of Monticello — and their descendants.

The estate has also hosted family reunions for the descendants of Sally and Thomas, slowly working to heal a long-standing wound ꩜