Descendent of Jefferson and Sally Hemings Learns Details of Their Relationship | Smithsonian

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  • Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
  • The fact that Thomas Jefferson had children with Sally Hemings was denied by Jefferson's family for almost 2 centuries-until DNA evidence confirmed it. A descendent of Sally Hemings learns the details the story.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 143

  • @plee6223
    @plee6223 2 роки тому +146

    Sally Hemings father was John Wayles, Thomas Jefferson’s father-in-law. So Sally was President Jefferson’s sister-in-law. I find it interesting that this fact is often overlooked.

    • @adrianemeeus1056
      @adrianemeeus1056 2 роки тому +30

      It's been in almost every article I read. Sally was his wife's sister and still treated like nothing.

    • @cookiemonster7043
      @cookiemonster7043 2 роки тому

      @@adrianemeeus1056 Because she was black and probably product of love affair from slavery… drr

    • @dominiquejones3805
      @dominiquejones3805 Рік тому +2

      That's what Paul Mooney was getting at

    • @alishakelley2097
      @alishakelley2097 Рік тому

      So he married a black woman?

    • @roosterillusion2764
      @roosterillusion2764 Рік тому

      Wrong. Dna disproved

  • @mskiara18
    @mskiara18 2 роки тому +108

    I feel only sadness for Sally, her children and her brother James. No love or pity for Jefferson.

    • @kikinorthington680
      @kikinorthington680 Рік тому

      If you read the report on Monticello Dr Foster who preformed the DNA TEST IT IS NOT CONCLUSIVE

    • @godssara6758
      @godssara6758 Рік тому +3

      Why. DNA proved Woodson was not a Jefferson.

    • @peachygal4153
      @peachygal4153 Місяць тому

      @@godssara6758 Well Madison Hemings told a reporter that child died as an infant in 1790. Woodson descendants thought he was this child, but that conflicts with what Madison Heming said. Plus, there is evidence Woodson was born in 1784 not 1790. Jefferson i had been in France over a year and Sally was only 11 years old in 1784. Sally did not go to France until 1788. she took Jefferson's daughter Polly after her baby sister died. Matha was already in France with Jefferson, but he had left his 2 youngest daughters with his sister-in-law. My guess is one of the Carr brothers, Jefferson's nephews fathered him with one of Sally's older sisters. You know the same ones Martha Jefferson claimed were Sally's children's father. Both had red hair and children with Sally's sisters, so Martha blamed one of her cousins were Sally's children's father too. Madison, and Eston had reddish hair. their sister Harriet was described as having dark auburn hair and green, gray eyes and very beautiful. Now Betsey did have a daughter named Mary born in 1783. They are not sure whom her father was. Betsey's' son Peter Fossett (born 1780) was the son of an Irish blacksmith named Fossett that had worked at Monticello for a time, but he was long gone by the time Mary was conceived. Some think possibly she was Jefferson's. Betsey ended up going to work for a storekeeper named Bell who leased her from Jefferson, and he later bought her as she was his common-law wife, they had children together. Bell gave all of them their freedom too. Peter Fossett and Mary Hemings stayed at Monticello. When Polly marred her Epps cousin, Mary went with her and after Polly died, Mary became Polly's widower's concubine. They had a good many children together. He and Polly only had 2 together that lived, but Polly died young, in her early 20's.

  • @50badbish61
    @50badbish61 2 роки тому +28

    Poor Sally

  • @MustAvoidScurvy
    @MustAvoidScurvy 2 роки тому +12

    That indeed was a really anticlimactic ending 😂

  • @julianaylor4351
    @julianaylor4351 2 роки тому +76

    The truth always comes out in the end.

    • @mindsEye09
      @mindsEye09 2 роки тому +3

      Absolutely!

    • @sleepingninjaquiettime
      @sleepingninjaquiettime 2 роки тому +4

      Sadly that's not the case, but it's beautiful when it does come out.

    • @julianaylor4351
      @julianaylor4351 2 роки тому +3

      @@sleepingninjaquiettime Sometimes it takes centuries.

    • @Missbevybaby_
      @Missbevybaby_ Рік тому

      Seriously! Every time

    • @annamussa3351
      @annamussa3351 Рік тому +2

      People knew it back then it was published in many newspapers during the remainder of Jefferson's presidency.

  • @ladybugsym1614
    @ladybugsym1614 2 роки тому +23

    I knew this from high-school. I graduated in the 1980s. How do people not know this?

    • @starcrib
      @starcrib 2 роки тому

      Because it's racist America- with Trump and his cult- negating everything that is clear as day. 🇺🇲☄️

    • @trythinking6676
      @trythinking6676 Рік тому +13

      Because certain people would rather you DON'T know.

    • @kenfresno5218
      @kenfresno5218 Рік тому +2

      because there is no proof

    • @lolodee3528
      @lolodee3528 Рік тому +3

      DNA has been done. Try to keep up.

    • @lmc-gm3bv
      @lmc-gm3bv Рік тому

      @@lolodee3528 You need a paper trail to see if you are a true descendant. The DNA is way too watered down to prove direct descent. You would actually have to have a sample of Thomas Jefferson's DNA from his body. There is truly no proof. Just more BS to defame The Founding Father's.

  • @MrVERMONVILE
    @MrVERMONVILE 2 роки тому +23

    Where's the whole episode?

    • @chadsmith2281
      @chadsmith2281 5 місяців тому

      Yes I want to watch the whole thing!

  • @JamesDeese
    @JamesDeese 2 роки тому +14

    The original copy of the Declaration of Independence did have a section ending slavery, but it was struck out because they were afraid that South Carolina would not vote for Independence. If we are going to tell it, and we should, we should tell it right.

    • @lisalovett1638
      @lisalovett1638 2 роки тому

      Jefferson was the one who wrote the clause for the Abolishment of Slavery. He was out voted.

  • @bingeltube
    @bingeltube 2 роки тому +9

    Why does this video end so abruptly and unexpectedly just when the story became interesting!

    • @lisalovett1638
      @lisalovett1638 2 роки тому +1

      A lot of times, films are posted 3-20 minutes installments. They do not show up in sequence. Sometimes you can find other installments by looking up who posted it. In this case Smithsonian Channel.

    • @bingeltube
      @bingeltube 2 роки тому

      @@lisalovett1638 Thanks Lisa! Wish you had told me that 3 months ago. :-)

  • @veraserah
    @veraserah 2 роки тому +41

    I had a somewhat unconventional middle school history teacher who taught us about Sally among other aspects of US history that I later realized was not by-the-textbook. To my understanding, Sally was half-sister to Martha Jefferson (same father... of course), more than a decade younger, and three-quarters white. Martha had died sometime before Sally had children. I believe Sally and Martha naturally looked similar, and Jefferson was known to have loved his wife, so take of that what you will. Many of Sally Hemings' children with Jefferson were white-passing and could blend into white society upon his death.

    • @roosterillusion2764
      @roosterillusion2764 Рік тому

      *many of tj children with sally hemminga.
      He had no kids with her. The best evidence is a 1/25 coin flip while there are several Jefferson descendants who claim to be the father. TJ no

  • @arak5502
    @arak5502 Місяць тому +2

    Sooo, we are making up history now?

  • @mrsmoore6028
    @mrsmoore6028 3 місяці тому +1

    Wow just found out she's my grandma too

  • @jfrancefl325
    @jfrancefl325 Рік тому +1

    cherrypick what, this is great!

  • @cleverfitz779
    @cleverfitz779 2 роки тому

    Good morning everyone

  • @katieydiddkatieydidd7269
    @katieydiddkatieydidd7269 Рік тому +3

    Interesting ending. Hmmmm...... Well, at any rate, few people know that Sally Hemmings was the half sister of Martha Wayles Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's first wife.

  • @jarrodyuki7081
    @jarrodyuki7081 Рік тому

    oh boy.

  • @melissab.5614
    @melissab.5614 Рік тому +2

    I wonder about the 2nd grade teacher now.

  • @vancegilmore245
    @vancegilmore245 2 роки тому +23

    Thomas Jefferson did actually believe all men were created equal. He also believed that not all men stayed equal.

    • @kw7807
      @kw7807 2 роки тому +4

      ??

    • @travelerforever8849
      @travelerforever8849 2 роки тому +1

      mean slaves and master are considered not equal.

    • @trinidivine
      @trinidivine 12 днів тому

      I like to say separate and never will be equal!

  • @michellefalk5825
    @michellefalk5825 Рік тому

    my great aunt who gave birth to thomas is 8th signer of declaration of independence

  • @brenth6723
    @brenth6723 5 місяців тому +10

    Sally was beautiful.

  • @GrandDuchessAniya
    @GrandDuchessAniya 2 роки тому +5

    I find it ironic that Jefferson is referred to as the President in this clip. It is the one accomplishment he chose to be excluded from his tombstone.

  • @gloria7876
    @gloria7876 6 місяців тому +2

    Sally Hemings and her brother James could have stayed in France and been free. I guess they didn’t want to give up their family.

    • @garyturner8898
      @garyturner8898 4 місяці тому

      They could have indeed. She must have had strong affection for her mother, Betty, and a deep desire to reunite with her in Virginia. Sally did obtain concessions from Jefferson regarding their children's freedom. Although Sally was never emancipated the four surviving children were freed at maturity.

    • @emah9478
      @emah9478 Місяць тому

      Prečo by tam zostávala? Vo Francúzsku vypukla revolúcia. Lepšie je byť privilegovanou otrokyňou s minimom práce s prísľubom slobody vlastných detí ako žiť v krajine kde by bola pracovala ako slúžka - ťažko a s minimálnym voľnom. Kde ju čakalo väčšie otroctvo? Zrejme vo Francúzsku. Veci niesú vždy také aké sa zdajú.

    • @robw7676
      @robw7676 27 днів тому

      ​@@garyturner8898two of the surviving children left for the North during Jefferson's lifetime with his tacit approval, their freedom was a paper exercise. The other two sons were freed and went to live locally, although Sally was never technically free, she lived with them for the last 9 years of her life.

    • @garyturner8898
      @garyturner8898 27 днів тому +1

      @@robw7676 Thank you for clarification, much appreciated.

  • @Boxermom0317
    @Boxermom0317 2 роки тому +6

    "From: One Thosand Years of Slavery". Really, Smithsonian Channel?

  • @Pan_Z
    @Pan_Z Рік тому +11

    The fact that even the Smithsonian continues the improbable narrative that Thomas Jefferson fathered Hemings' children is concerning. All that is certain is that the youngest son of Sarah Hemings', Eston Hemings, has the Jefferson Y-chromosome, meaning some male in the Jefferson family is the father. That's it.
    It's more likely that the father of Eston was Thomas Jefferson's brother, Rudolph Hemings, who was known to party with the Monticello estate slaves.

    • @edj2045
      @edj2045 5 місяців тому +4

      sooo many people like you in the comments saying it was the brother when there is absolute nothing to substantiate this. Sallys children even said their father was TJ and this is documented. why would they lie? Why would he put only these kids in his will and not his other nieces and nephews? what's your proof? what's your evidence? I'll wait!

    • @user-qz8km2qr8g
      @user-qz8km2qr8g 4 місяці тому

      Go run to your safe space so what Thomas Jefferson like a little brown sugar it's a fact deal with it!!!

    • @thenewapelles6448
      @thenewapelles6448 Місяць тому

      It's strange how so many want to deny what seems so obvious. People suspected Jefferson had children with Hemmings as far back as 1802. It was not uncommon for Virginia planters to have children with their slaves. And Jefferson was progressive relative to many of his southern peers, so I can absolutely see him having a relationship with Sally for decades.

  • @jaybailleaux630
    @jaybailleaux630 2 роки тому +5

    Makes me wonder how true the relationship was. Would it stand up to a paternity suit today ? The DNA test would show kinship to Jefferson but not necessarily the father of the child.

    • @lolodee3528
      @lolodee3528 Рік тому +4

      DNA was done in late 90’s. It ruled out another Jefferson nephew. TJ is indeed father to Hemings’ children.

    • @jaybailleaux630
      @jaybailleaux630 Рік тому

      @@lolodee3528 if you say so. No problemo.

    • @dwaynedrummond4251
      @dwaynedrummond4251 Рік тому +1

      Why continue to deny their family tale?

    • @jaybailleaux630
      @jaybailleaux630 Рік тому

      @@dwaynedrummond4251 don't care one way or another. People today love to live in fantasy land.

    • @lmc-gm3bv
      @lmc-gm3bv Рік тому

      @@lolodee3528 You need a paper trail to see if you are a true descendant. The DNA is way too watered down to prove direct descent. You would actually have to have a sample of Thomas Jefferson's DNA from his body to prove anything.

  • @SmoothCrmnl80
    @SmoothCrmnl80 Рік тому

    Ya see? Even Thomas Jefferson couldn't resist that black 😺

  • @NeTxGrl
    @NeTxGrl Рік тому +9

    I'm sitting on the fence on whether Thomas Jefferson was the father of SH children after reading about the opposing view. Only Advancement in DNA technology if that ever occurs will change my opinion, meaning it will have to pinpoint who the father is and not family line. I certainly would not feel comfortable betting everything I own on TJ being the father. There was never a portrait done of Sally Hemmings. The one that is always shown is not actually her.

    • @lmc-gm3bv
      @lmc-gm3bv Рік тому

      You need a paper trail to see if you are a true descendant. The DNA is way too watered down to prove direct descent. You would actually have to have a sample of Thomas Jefferson's DNA from his body.

    • @QuatMan
      @QuatMan Рік тому +6

      We do have accounts from the era of her being his concubine, along with the accounts of some of his kids with her, like Eston....

    • @roosterillusion2764
      @roosterillusion2764 Рік тому

      Name*

  • @cynthiagourdine3351
    @cynthiagourdine3351 2 місяці тому

    Anyone who's ancestors were in bondage in this country is a fool to believe that how can a nation of people believe that they are created equal. That was written for people of European ancestry that was the all and still is.

  • @deelynn8611
    @deelynn8611 9 місяців тому +6

    Sally was Jeffersons wifes half-sister.. Jeffersons wife died, and I bet she looked just like his wife. He was lonely and fell in love with her.

    • @petermj1098
      @petermj1098 6 місяців тому +5

      He did not love her enough to free her and their own children from slavery when he was alive.

  • @divinedelaware7541
    @divinedelaware7541 2 місяці тому

    She was beautiful

  • @coachvolpato
    @coachvolpato 2 роки тому +4

    The narrator’s voice is my least favorite.

  • @conoceisrael
    @conoceisrael Рік тому +2

    this is not a lie, they lived togheter, of course their life would be mixed. and this is an amazing story

  • @snomx2809
    @snomx2809 2 місяці тому

    Who is here because of Shane Gillis?

  • @kermitdfrogz
    @kermitdfrogz Місяць тому

    Jefferson's only male heir was Black.... well, he would have been an heir had he gave him anything.

  • @wcstnyrrcom
    @wcstnyrrcom Рік тому +5

    TJ and SH did not have children. Educate yourselves people.

    • @Reminiscent1990
      @Reminiscent1990 Рік тому

      But the internet and Google algorithm are allied against Thomas Jefferson, because he wanted free commerce and free states, not an autocracy like Lincoln wanted.

    • @lolodee3528
      @lolodee3528 Рік тому +6

      You ignore the DNA and familial resemblances? Seems a whimsical stance.

    • @Mistyhu78
      @Mistyhu78 Рік тому

      Madison and Easton were there son's 😊

    • @JKenny44
      @JKenny44 10 місяців тому

      ​@@lolodee3528
      Familial resemblance across 6 generations?
      You have 64 ancestors of the 6th generation.
      Ain't no way you can look similar to all of them. Stop it

  • @lalaLAX219
    @lalaLAX219 2 роки тому +9

    The sally hemmings story has been debunked so many times.

  • @jarrodyuki7081
    @jarrodyuki7081 Рік тому +3

    thomas jefferson is good.

  • @gailhasler8435
    @gailhasler8435 2 роки тому +9

    Wish a complete list of related members could be published. It would be interesting to see if any ultra conservatives legislating against teaching Black history are related. ? 🤤

  • @nicholasferris59
    @nicholasferris59 Рік тому +2

    LIES!

  • @Rio_Seco
    @Rio_Seco 2 роки тому +6

    Not so fast. DNA could have come from any Jefferson male. Jefferson's brother was known to spend a lot if time carrying on amoung the slaves.

    • @gabs3174
      @gabs3174 2 роки тому +8

      But the children were the only family Jefferson ever freed (2 before death & 2 through his will). I guess he could've done that for his brother...but it seems more likely he would do that because they were his kids...especially with them being in his will. Also, why would the children lie about him being their father rather than their uncle instead? One of them said that one of the babies fathered by Jefferson with his mother didn't live too long. I'm sure the children witnessed this. Plus, why would a free woman in Paris move to America to become enslaved? I wonder if it was love. It's all so interesting...

    • @Rio_Seco
      @Rio_Seco 2 роки тому +4

      @@gabs3174 Jefferson made arrangements with both the slaves he took to Paris. The man I believe was freed once he taught Jefferson's other chiefs how to expertly cook French food. Hemmings as a single black woman probably understood at some level that she would do better enslaved in on Jefferson's estate (at least more secure) with additional privilege's then free and single in France, and negotiated for any children she might have to be freed, which Jefferson agreed to.

    • @Rozziefeatherschneider
      @Rozziefeatherschneider Рік тому +1

      Why are you Jefferson defenders always trying to use Jefferson's brother as a scapegoat to make him look innocent, there are so much evidence to prove Jefferson was in fact the father of Sally's children.

    • @Reminiscent1990
      @Reminiscent1990 Рік тому

      @@gabs3174 because “serfs” in America we’re better treated and they got a wage. That’s why.

    • @oliviateachout6516
      @oliviateachout6516 Рік тому +2

      @@gabs3174 she went back to the USA because jefferson said he would free her children if she did what he wanted. he was manipulative, she wasn’t in love with him. that’s such a weird thing to say why would she ever truly love someone who owned her as property?

  • @euphegenia
    @euphegenia 2 роки тому +6

    Sally chose to come back to Virginia and back into slavery. They skipped that part.

    • @bethaniejify
      @bethaniejify 2 роки тому +17

      I mean she was only 14 at the time. 😐

    • @euphegenia
      @euphegenia 2 роки тому +9

      @@bethaniejify The 14 year olds in 1787 were far more self-sufficient and responsible than a 2022 14 year old. James had a choice of staying in France too. They could’ve lived together.

    • @sydneythreatts5454
      @sydneythreatts5454 2 роки тому +15

      @@euphegenia she was forced to…. jefferson wouldn’t let her leave. you think she wanted to come back and be enslaved?

    • @-_YouMayFind_-
      @-_YouMayFind_- 2 роки тому +4

      @@euphegenia she first of all didnt speak the language. In france they speak French not English most of the times. But god knows how that went.

    • @jayden12260
      @jayden12260 Рік тому +2

      ​@@euphegenia 1787: 14 years old was forced to grow up to secure their life. 2022: 14 years old now are more sheltered and that's just fine 🙂 👌 with me.