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The African Venus: Callender's Portrayal of Sally Hemings
Anna Robertson
[1] James Thomson Callender's intentional misrepresentation of Thomas Jefferson's slave Sally Hemings introduced her to history and is largely responsible for the reason why the Jefferson-Hemings controversy is still alive today. In a series of articles in the Richmond Recorder, Callender accuses Jefferson of a long-standing involvement with his slave Sally Hemings. Callender wrongly characterizes Hemings' physical appearance by describing her as an African-looking harlot, and he challenges whatever morality she could possibly have by claiming that she "seduced" the former president into his downfall. Callender's use of racist and controversial language enabled his scandalous story to gain extreme popularity in a remarkably short period of time and remains the fundamental reason why Hemings' descendants are attempting to try to recreate her true image today.
[2] Callender's initial misrepresentation of Hemings is in her skin color. In order to further his own political agenda and place Jefferson in the worst possible light, Callender conceives Hemings as a dirty slave woman with a complexion "between a mahogany colour and a dirty greasy yellow" (September 15, 1802), the all too familiar image of the average slave that still exists today. He also refers to her as the "African Venus" ((September 1, 1802) and the "sable Helen" (September 29, 1802) , a clear reference to her presumed skin color. Callender, in reality, never even saw Hemings; in fact, he had no first-hand proof of her actual existence. Instead, he relied heavily on popular conceptions that were meant to cause heavy scorn and scandal by provoking the Southern racism that was immensely present in the general public in the early 1800s.
[3] Now, of course, we know that Hemings was, in fact, three-quarters white; with a mulatto mother and a white father, Hemings could have probably, if not definitely, passed for a white woman. This directly contradicts Callender's reference to Hemings as "black Sally" (November 17, 1802) and the "black wench" (September 22, 1802). We now know also that Hemings worked as a housekeeper at Monticello and that she was well-dressed and well-bathed. Although one must consider Callender's ignorance in the matter, he still insisted that she was none other than a "concubine" (September 1, 1802) and a "negro wench" (September 22, 1802), demonstrating his mission to tear down Jefferson's reputation and further his own ambitions by overexaggerating Hemings' "African-ness" and by obliterating any dignity that she could possibly retain. Callender thus gained support for his story in the inherent disapproval of the relationship that was so prevalent during this time period.
[4] Callender further disrespects Hemings in his consistent and imaginative discussions of her immorality and her promiscuity. He calls Hemings a "mahogany colored charmer" (September 29, 1802), 1802), attacking Hemings' motivations in her "forbidden" relationship with her master. Callender also imagines Hemings romping around "with half a dozen black fellows" (September 15, 1802) in the "pigstye" (September 29, 1802), a clear and harsh defamation of Hemings' character in the public eye. Callender's nastiest blow to Hemings' character emerges when he refers to her as "a slut as common as the pavement" (September 22, 1802). These damning words gained the Richmond Recorder enormous attention, which escalated the story's popularity and set in stone the false images of Hemings that continue to survive today. Callender's images haunt the minds of Hemings's descendants, who have, since then, attempted to disprove Callender and reveal Sally's genuine identity.
[5] Callender's powerful word choices to convey damning images of a naïve Sally Hemings to a racist and scandal-loving Southern people in the early 1800s precisely demonstrates the power of spoken and written language. Callender's use of language as his own personal tool forces us to call into question our most basic and intuitive beliefs; he changes the way we view the world by determining how we remember the past. The images of Hemings as a dark-skinned, dirty whore of a slave are images that remain today. They act as a catalyst for the current debate and discussion concerning Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. After condemning Hemings into history, Callender swore that her name would "walk down to posterity alongside of Mr. Jefferson's own name" (September 29, 1802), and his prophecy remains true to this day.
