American International Journal of Humanities and Social Science (AIJHSS)

This article tells the truth about Thomas Jefferson; his complicated legacy and relationship with his slave Sally Hemings and how the third President of the United States felt about equal rights and freedom rights, particularly as these issues related to black people. The truth will certainly change how people think about how the revolutionary founding father viewed Black American slavery. It is also appropriate to acknowledge that something intimate happened between Jefferson and Sally Hemings, especially as this contact profoundly affected her status at Jefferson’s Monticello plantation, in Virginia; and the children she would bear with Jefferson. Indeed, even with his intuitive intelligence, Jefferson put politics ahead of the humanity of his slaves at Monticello. This is to say that Jefferson wanted to keep the issue of equality out of politics. Furthermore, Jefferson wasn’t particularly involved in the personal lives and activities of his mulatto children; nor did he deftly address the issue of equality. Jefferson’s apparent indifference to his slaves, perhaps, proved that he was nothing more than a racialist with scathing views of race, which sparked considerable angst and animosity among his slaves. This point must not be understated. Jefferson also failed to recognize the dignity and humaneness of black people, in general; nor did he care about interacting or knowing his slaves on a deeper level. So was Jefferson guilty of unintentional negligence? Or was he predisposed to be a white supremacist? To this end, the issue of racial equality is critically addressed in this article, because racial inequality hasn’t diminished with time. Moreover, the failure to discuss his relationship with Sally Hemings and the issue of equality for black people at the inception of the United States made Jefferson a hypocrite – that is, by our standards today. The perplexing story of Jefferson and Hemings highlights the historical injustices of African Americans, especially as they have had to face racism, marginalization, discrimination, lynching, disenfranchisement, and death, as well as systematic oppression. It would seem to be no exaggeration to say that Jefferson was unfair in the treatment of his slaves. But, perhaps, Sally Hemings reminded Jefferson of the specialness and humanity of people of color. Hemings certainly survived against all odds.