Was there ever any response or statement made by Jefferson concerning his relationship with Sally Hemings?
There is one letter that some historians have interpreted as a denial of a relationship with Sally Hemings. But the actual letter is lost, and only a cover letter remains. It’s very ambiguous. Other than that, all we know is that at one time, Jefferson’s daughter brought him a scurrilous poem about the relationship. One account says he gave a hardy laugh and said no more. Another account said he just smiled. So that’s his only known response to this relationship. What do you think would have been the consequences if he publicly acknowledged this relationship? Jefferson could not have been a public servant. He would have been ostracized by his neighbors. And it would have been virtually impossible to continue his life as he did and acknowledge the relationship. Others who acknowledged slave mistresses in Virginia became kind of pariahs in society. And what would have been the consequences if Jefferson had spoken out publicly against slavery? Probably he never would have been president.
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