The Thomas Jefferson Affair: The DNA Evidence

                                                                                         

Thomas Jefferson is one of the most famous figures in American History. The third President of the United States, Jefferson was one of the Founding Fathers, establishing a republic United States all those years ago. He is still remembered today in history classes for his role in establishing modern America, and is hailed as a national hero. Yet certain allegations made about Thomas Jefferson at the start of the 19th century have lead to increased speculation about his private life, thrusting DNA testing to the forefront some 200 years later to determine the facts.

Thomas Jefferson is credited as having written the Declaration of Independence, and is given iconic status in the US history books. But his reputation was dealt a blow when in 1802 it was exposed that he may have fathered children to one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings, by a local journalist. The matter was never to be categorically resolved, although thanks to technological advances centuries later, genetic material was able to be extracted and tested to determine whether the children could have been those of Thomas Jefferson.

This issue was of particular controversy at the time it was raised, particularly given Jefferson’s opposition to interracial marriage, thus any interactions with Hemmings would be seen as scandalous. Allegations were made public through a press report, and there was never any public confirmation or denial made by Thomas Jefferson as to its accuracy or otherwise. In recent years, the issue has been brought back to the forefront in numerous academic and scientific studies of the evidence.

DNA Testing – Indications not conclusions

A study of DNA material conducted in 1998 revealed that between the Hemmings children and Thomas Jefferson, there was indeed some genetic link, although it did not conclude positively that that link was from Thomas Jefferson himself. However subsequent to that study, further reports examining the findings have claimed that Jefferson is most likely to have fathered the children of Sally Hemmings as is alleged, although Thomas’s younger brother has also been proposed as the potential link.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to know at this stage whether Jefferson was the father of the children of his slave. This is of particular historical importance, given the stature of Thomas Jefferson in American history, and one which has certainly received its fair share of media attention in recent years. However, with a number of reports suggesting the evidence to be inconclusive, it’s impossible to be sure at this stage whether or not that relationship existed.

And what of young Randolph Jefferson, the alleged alternative father and Thomas Jefferson’s younger brother? He was recorded as having visited Thomas Jefferson on four occasions, of which none would seem to neatly correspond with the likely dates of the conception of the five Hemmings children. Thus while this may be alleged by some parties to be answer, there still remains a few awkward questions that would need to be satisfied were Randolph to be confirmed as the father of the Hemmings children.

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