Sally Hemings Jefferson Analysis

During the course of history, there have been many stories told. One story that comes to mind is about Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with his enslaved lover Sally Hemings. As we take a closer look into the life of Thomas Jefferson, let’s consider these questions, what was life like for the other enslaved families at Monticello? How were blacks viewed within the English culture? And last, but not least, was it considered rape when Jefferson had sexual relations with his fourteen year old slave?
When we read about Jefferson, the name Sally Hemings is not too far behind. Jefferson’s family knew all about his liaison with Sally. They did not want the story to get out, but luckily for James Callender, he had a firsthand account to the story. …show more content…
Indifference- from those who had no feelings about the situation at all1. “While these opinions moved beyond the undercurrent of hysteria, they continued to ignore what was really at stake: proper regard for the humanity and integrity of blacks who were enslaved at Monticello1.”
In the seventeenth- century, blacks were faced with a lot of negativity. Blacks were considered evil, dirty, and ranked very low on the totem pole . But, if this was indeed true, did this matter at all to Jefferson? Were mulattoes classified this way as well? “Although mixed race people, like Hemings, were a recognized category in early Anglo-American statues, they enjoyed no advantages at law. The statutory listings of “negroes” and “mulattoes” were really a way to emphasize that mixed-race people had the same status as blacks …show more content…
Many members of the family were given the most important positions at Monticello. In fact, many of the other enslaved families Jefferson owned, resented the treatment the Hemings family received8. Much of this attention, was directed towards Sally. Was this directed attention wanted or unwanted? Did this really matter? “Engaging in sex with a slave is an abuse of power by the master and considered a trespass against her owner .” In addition, if the owner had sexual relations with his slave, then because he was her owner, no crime was committed. No matter how the woman felt about the situation at hand, was no concern to anyone. Her feelings (the slave) did not matter. “Slave owners only rarely acknowledged their sexual activity with slave women, and the women themselves effectively had no voice .” Could this possibly answer the question as to why Jefferson denied his sexual liaison with Hemings? The relationship that Jefferson and Hemings had was clearly a forced hold that Jefferson had on Sally. Owning slaves was one of the many perks of being a slave owner. When John Adams heard the story of Jefferson's, relationship with a slave woman, he was not surprised, identifying it "as a natural and almost unavoidable consequence of that foul contagion in the human character- Negro slavery .” The issue here is whether one can call sexual activity between