| Episodes |
A More Well-Rounded Hemings [AGR 160-66]
Dan Carr
with comment by Danielle Heymann
[1] In her Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, Annette Gordon-Reed sets out to logically redefine the tarnished view of Jefferson's slave mistress, Sally Hemings. Gordon-Reed does so in her section titled "Who Was Sally Hemings?" by presenting under-acknowledged facts about Hemings's family and life in order to develop a more realistic and less extreme view of Hemings (160-66). Here Gordon-Reed explains that Sally was accustomed to the Master-Slave interaction in which she became involved, because both her mother and grandmother were at one point the mistresses of their respective slave masters. She also visits the fact that Sally was extremely beautiful in a time and city that glorified beauty and that, because Sally was only one-quarter black, she was in a slightly more honorable and privileged position as a slave, and was even given maternal responsibility at a young age.
[2] Gordon-Reed's argument that Sally was more highly regarded than most other slaves is based on her maturity and background. Hemings was given the task while only in her mid-teens to ensure that Mary Jefferson remained safe and healthy in her trip across the Atlantic to meet with her father in Paris. Gordon-Reed notes that this assignment is a sign of Hemings's intelligence when she writes, "That Sally Hemings was chosen over the rest for what was, after all, a remarkable assignment suggests that the people in the best position to judge her considered her worthy of it" (162). The fact that a slave would be endowed with such a great responsibility at such a young age certainly reinforces the argument that Sally was considered a highly capable woman, despite being a slave. (see comment by Danielle Heymann)
[3] Although completely opposite in nature, Sally's position in the "Social hierarchies . . . of the slave system" was also bolstered by origins from which she came (164). Gordon-Reed explains, "She was a young woman whose grandmother had been the mistress of a white man. Her mother had been the mistress of another white man, a plantation owner" (164). Gordon-Reed's argument here is facilitated two-fold in that since Hemings's family has a past of intimacy with powerful individuals, she might carry some of the same influence, but also that she may have been ingrained see these relationships as normal, as Gordon-Reed asks, "Might not Sally Hemings have thought being the mistress of a slave master a suitable role? "(164)
[4] Gordon-Reed also explains that Sally was gifted with a rare beauty. In the city of Paris, where her relationship with Jefferson is fostered, beauty has always been of utmost importance, and at the time of her arrival the infatuation with physical perfection was at the highest it had ever been. Gordon-Reed writes that "Paris was fashion mad even then. It was important for the Jeffersons and the Hemingses to be dressed appropriately, for being ill attired or having servants who were poorly outfitted would reflect badly upon the minister and the country that he represented. As a result, Jefferson spent lavishly on all the members of his household" (164). Thus, Jefferson adorned Hemings in attire that would make her even more physically appealing than in her usual Monticello outfits.
[5] Not only would this upgrade in appearance make Sally even more attractive but also Gordon-Reed introduces the idea that all of this attention would surely raise Hemings's confidence, and that it may have changed the way that others viewed her. Gordon-Reed continues, "[S]ince she had led such a privileged existence up until that point, her new way of life probably confirmed what she may have thought of herself all along: that she was special. . . . Seeing herself differently may have changed the way others, including Thomas Jefferson, saw her "(164). This view certainly explains why Hemings became a suitable prospect for Jefferson to have an affair with, largely in part because Jefferson and the others around her molded her into such an individual. What Gordon-Reed explains is that contrary to what many of the naysayers propose, Hemings was quite a unique woman given her situation. Of all African Americans for Jefferson to have a relationship with, Hemings was the ideal candidate, thus making it much more reasonable that the sexual relationship between Jefferson and Hemings actually existed.
[6] By systematically using facts about Hemings and the society in which she lived, Gordon-Reed is able to repaint the image of Sally Hemings. She makes a valid argument that the relationship between Jefferson and Hemings is extremely plausible without referencing the relationship itself. Gordon-Reed simply explains that because Hemings was a relatively sophisticated and extremely beautiful woman who appeared white to the passer by, she was reasonable for Jefferson to pursue. In doing so, Gordon-Reed fortifies the argument that the affair existed while simultaneously creating a more positive public image of Sally.
Comment
I don't think that the point Gordon-Reed was trying to make by explaining that Hemings was given a "remarkable assignment" ends with merely revealing that Sally was mature. Yes, Gordon-Reed gives sufficient evidence to prove that Sally was more mature and responsible than the others. However, the underlying meaning here is that Sally Hemings was a capable woman and that Jefferson acknowledged her maturity, which was essential for the relationship to take place. Contrary to this idea, Douglas Adair and John C. Miller depict Sally as an immature child to whom Jefferson would not be attracted. However, Gordon-Reed paints a different, more reasonable picture of Hemings, which leads the imagination to consider that her maturity would allow for a relationship to exist with her master, Thomas Jefferson.
