| Episodes |
Newspapers and journals around the country immediately picked up Callender's story. To get an idea of the "splash" Callender made with his charges against Jefferson, see what we might call a political cartoon by James Akins. And (if you have access to a database like the American Periodicals Series) see the poetic "fun" the Port-Folio, the leading Federalist journal of the day, had with the Jefferson-Hemings affair in the period between July 1802-April 1803.
Here are eleven Port-Folio poems that in various ways rake Jefferson over the coals. Note also, especially, of course, the way in which Hemings is described. What are the key poems? Why? How are Jefferson and Sally depicted? What rhetorical strategies are used to achieve the debasing purpose? What kind of effect do you think such works had? How does seeing this kind of invective make you feel about Callender, about Jefferson, about Hemings?
Cartoon:
James Akin, "A Philosophic Cock" (inscription: "'Tis not a set of features or complexion Or tincture of a Skin that I admire")
Port-Folio Poems:
1) July 10, 1802 (before Callender's attack): "Original Poetry"
2) October 2, 1802: "A Song, Supposed to Have Been Written by the Sage of Monticello"
3) October 30, 1802: "Another Imitation of Horace" ("Addressed to a Certain Great Man")
4) October 30, 1802: "Original Poetry" ("Horace, Book II, Ode 4")
5) November 6, 1802: "Selected Poetry" ("A Philosophic Love-Song to Sally")
6) November 13, 1802: "From the Anti-Democrat" ("A New Song, Being a Parody on an Old One")
7) December 4, 1802: "Original Poetry" ("Phyllis to Demo-Phoon")
8) December 18, 1802: "The Metamorphosis"
9) January 22, 1803: "Original Poetry" ("In Thoman, Jen Senem")
10) March 19, 1803: "Levity" ("A Piece of an Ode to Jefferson")
11) April 9, 1803: "Black and White"
