Don your thinking caps. Time to commit. Trumpet flourish, please.

1) Did Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings have a sexual relationship?

Our miniseries ends where we think the present (2013) popular and scholarly consensus lies, with a resounding "Yes." So, if you are a believer, on what do you base your belief? Is it something that Annette Gordon-Reed argued? Is it some image in the Tina Andrews film? Is it the inevitable dynamic of a master/slave relationship that studies of the history of that peculiar institution reveal? Is it your knowledge of human nature? Is it the fact that we live in a fallen world? Is it a cynical sense that men will be men? Is it just plain instinct?

Well, what is it? Be specific. Try to isolate the major determinant for you.

2) So if it is "yes" that Jefferson and Hemings did have a sexual relationship, on what was it based: rape, coercion, consent, seduction, love, some combination, something else?

‘Fess up. What have you been imagining? And at what point did you start imagining it? What film with the title "Tom and Sally" has been playing in your head?

In formulating a final answer, you might want to look back at Suzette Spencer's complex study of "coersubmission" in episode 8, or the rather brutal and unromantic Burstein article in episode 14, or the way Annette Gordon-Reed's lengthy unpacking of basic questions in chapters 14-17 of her Hemingses of Monticello in episode 16 suggests love without definitively saying so.

And, as always, specific is what we like to see. What is your answer, and on what do you base it?

3) But, like the lady that Emily Dickinson writes about, perhaps you can't find your "yes." If so, why not? Why are you reluctant to believe in such a relationship? Why are you bucking what we feel is the current mainstream opinion?

Do you find yourself leaning toward one or more of the trio of defenses (Jefferson's character, another man, the victim syndrome) employed in the 19th century that we saw in episode 4?

Or are you swayed by the calm and rational and logical but firm arguments marshaled in the Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society report in episode 13?

Or is your "no" defiant and angry? Do you share the kind of righteous indignation we see in the episode 16 works of William Hyland and David Barton?

Or are you just muddled, paralyzed, confused?

Whatever's fueling your "no" -- let's hear it.

Browse the cluster of responses below for a range of viewpoints. Who do you think has it right, who wrong? What piece of evidence seems most telling? What are these people missing? Where do you stand? What would you add?

And then, regardless of your answer, move on to think about the significance of the controversy, a controversy that has kept people on all sides of the political spectrum hot and bothered for over two hundred years.

1) Why is it so impossible to believe?
Something about Thomas Jefferson's character that is both focused on and ignored is his strong moral compass. I know that is both a broad and confusing statement, but what I mean to say is that while many historians have cited Jefferson as a man of morality and strong values, they use this argument to argue against the possibility of an affair with his slave Sally Hemings. There seems to be a rather large disconnect here between their argument and the evidence they use to legitimate it. Jefferson is portrayed throughout history as a man who changed this country and began work on the path towards equality for men. His own slaves argued that he was kind. They cite that he rarely, if ever, whipped his slaves or punished them for wrong-doings. Historians use this character trait to argue that a man of such caliber could not possibly have an affair with a black woman because to them that relationship was immoral and thus unbefitting to a man such as Jefferson. In actuality, if Jefferson was as great a man as he is portrayed as, why then is it so impossible to believe that he fell in love with a woman whom he saw as equal to himself? If Jefferson was the man that he has been portrayed as throughout history, why is this relationship so impossible? Clearly Jefferson owned slaves, there is no argument against that, but one must keep in mind that at the time equality had not been achieved and slavery was still widely practiced. The key difference is his treatment of his slaves. It is apparent that Jefferson saw the act of owning a slave differently than many others during this time. To me his morality and the treatment of his slaves does not give me reason to doubt the affair at all. In fact it gives me reason to believe that he saw slaves as people. People who were in part, a part of his own family, and it is very likely that he could fall in love with one of them.
Alexandra Horowitz

2) Exception to the rule?
Yes, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings did have a relationship. It was a sexual relationship, as proven "beyond a reasonable doubt" by the DNA evidence. The details of that relationship, whether it be rape or a loving one, have yet to be determined, though continue to be hypothesized. But there isn't much to go on here, still. All we have is the knowledge of general master-slave relations that occurred in the Antebellum South. Could TJ and SH be an exception to the rule? Sure, absolutely. But it will be near impossible to figure out the details, especially since the descendants don't even know their own history. Slave narratives and oral histories have shown to be fairly accurate when compared to the White Jeffersons, but the truth is that neither side can get their story straight yet both think they are correct. Who are we to say which side of the family tree we stand on?
Kristen Dalton

3) A bond that none of us can understand
Jefferson and Hemings did have a relationship. All of literature that has been produced and controversy that has existed for over 200 years leads me to believe there must be some truth to the rumors. I do not think it was a mutually loving relationship, at least in the beginning. Jefferson owned Sally; she was his property and had to submit to his will. I think the relationship could only have begun as I would think most master-slave relations do begin, she was doing what she was told. However, because of the extensive length of time this affair went on, it may have transformed into something more than a slave submitting to her master. As time went on the two must have shared a bond that none of us can understand today.
Elaina Kelly

4) Sinking to their level?
While making her very valid point that it is unwise to attempt to discern much about this politician's personal life based on the public documents he penned, Annette Gordon-Reed again hypothesizes about a different Jefferson. She alleges that "The day-to-day Jefferson may have been, not the opposite of, but perhaps very different than, the Jefferson who appears in his self-consciously constructed documentary legacy." How good of her to throw in that little "not the opposite of"; that's truly the only caveat keeping her from alleging outright that Jefferson burned all of his personal correspondences to keep the public from knowing his nymphomaniacal side. I'm somewhat torn, though. I can't decide whether she throws out this other hypothesis that is based on the same minimal data and equally as far-fetched as the "asexual Jefferson" model of the historians in an attempt to demonstrate the absurdity inherent in making such claims or whether she's simply sinking to their level. I certainly hope it is not the latter.
Eric Edgerton

5) The DNA test is the only thing that proves anything
The Jefferson-Hemings controversy raises a number of interesting points about how "history" is constructed. Even the most prominent historians cannot help but inject their own bias against Jefferson into their accounts of the scandal. They cannot accept the possibility that Jefferson could have done something that would make him anything less than immaculate. At the opposite end of the argument are the authors and movie producers who assume that there must have been a long-lasting relationship between them simply because they view these historical accounts as racially biased. The truth is that neither side had any conclusive arguments. In my opinion, what each person thought about the issue was entirely based on preconceived notions, and history is being formed before taking into account the validity of the facts involved. There were very few facts involved in the controversy, and none of them can definitively prove anything, allowing anyone to frame the controversy in such a way to prove his or her point. That is why, in my opinion, the DNA test is the only thing that proves anything. The DNA almost undoubtedly proves that Jefferson fathered the children of Sally Hemings, finally ending the controversy. Learning about this controversy only reaffirms my feelings that the formation of history says far more about the people who write it and the times they live in than about that truth.
Brian Levy

6) A mutually convenient and loving relationship
I do think there was a relationship between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. Scholars like Annette Gordon-Reed and Fawn Brodie have given us evidence that is undeniable in my mind. I imagine a relationship of mutual convenience, where Sally gains a (somewhat) better life for her children and is respected by Jefferson and where Jefferson is able to find companionship after Martha's death, which is always convenient for him. What started off as convenience blossomed into love. Both individuals benefited from the relationship, and the fact that it went on for over thirty years demonstrates that it evolved into something loving. If the relationship was purely convenience, it would've ended sooner, immediately when both parties got what they wanted. It would have been very easy for Jefferson to discontinue the relationship if he wished, and the fact that he did not indicates he loved her, and the fact that Sally stayed at Monticello even after her children left indicates that she loved him and wanted to stay in the relationship, too. I truly believe that over time Sally became one of the main reasons that Jefferson came back to Monticello repeatedly. Monticello (and Sally) came to represent a comfort and a home which he did not know elsewhere. Their relationship withstood political muckraking by Callender, and, even after this public scrutiny, Jefferson could not stay away from Sally. This is surely an indication of a loving, passionate relationship. The oral tradition of Hemings' descendants further weighs on my mind as I contemplate the truth in the relationship. I strongly believe that these accounts were truthful and the power of oral communication is great--after all, it is what has kept this family alive thus far when the historians claims alone could not, and the Hemings descendants have had many of their claims of oral tradition legitimized by scholarly findings as of late. There was a relationship, and it was a mutually convenient and loving relationship.
Kimbrilee Weber

7) No reason why not
Despite the many remarkable contributions Jefferson made in legislature, literature, art, and architecture, there will always be this shroud of hypocrisy over his, as well as our other founding fathers' heads. Getting a broader perspective on the matter still leaves the story unclear, but to me there seems to be no reason why he would not have slept with a slave, as this would be consistent with the speciousness present in the grey area between his public and private life. Jefferson could have looked past his obvious disgust with the black race and work to truly support the Christian ideals he claims to uphold and not merely claim to feel upset at the institution, but the fact is he didn't. What he did do was support his negrophobia with petty racist observations seemingly related to the condition slaves found themselves in and back his racist views with insane scientific explanations inconsistent with even the most conservative or retro scientific views of human biology of the time. It is an unfortunate black mark on his important and influential record as an American founding father.
Justin Kloc

8) Gordon-Reed's hard and pointed logic
After the intensive semester we have spent on the Jefferson-Hemings controversy, nothing has swayed me more in reference to this question than Annette Gordon-Reed's first book. Up until the point in the semester where we read her book, I had intuitively been leaning toward believing that a relationship existed. However, it was difficult to fully support this claim in the face of innumerable documents dedicated to proving Jefferson's innocence. While Fawn Brodie and Barbara Chase-Riboud both had some compelling points of interest, it was Gordon-Reed's hard and pointed logic that gave me the confidence to strongly assert my belief that a relationship between Jefferson and one of his slaves did exist. Primary among the key points of evidence that ultimately convinced me of this is the freeing of both Sally and her children. This means that there was some factor of significance about this family that compelled Jefferson to choose them as the only recipients of freedom out of his entire staff of slaves. Specifically, the fact that Sally was freed quietly after his death instead of being included in Jefferson's will reinforces her importance. Jefferson obviously didn't want to publicize the fact that he was freeing her. If he had simply wanted to cover up the fact that he was freeing slaves, he would have quietly freed all of the Hemings family members instead of including the children in his will. Sally's style of liberation shows that Jefferson wanted to hide it, most logically because he didn't want to call attention to their relationship.
Katie Prosswimmer

9) No doubt
There is no doubt in my mind that a relationship occurred between Jefferson and Hemings. There are two pieces of evidence that contribute to my decision: oral history and DNA. Although many of Hemings's descendants had never met one another, they still gave the same story about Jefferson and Hemings's relationship. The DNA evidence further solidified that what the kin said for decades is the truth.
Elizabeth Guzzo

10) Rooting for the consensual
I do definitely believe that Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson had a relationship. Unfortunately, that is about all I feel certain about. When thinking about their relationship, I almost always envision it as being a loving and romantic partnership. I can't decide if this is actually realistic, however, or more the product of the various fictional depictions we've watched and read of their relationship. While it is tempting to imagine their relationship as being conjugal and romantic, I have to concede that there really is no evidence empirically suggesting that. The possibility of their relationship being largely physical and sex-based still remains somewhat realistic to me. However, the fact that their relationship lasted so long does obviously imply a sense of attachment. As I've mentioned in the past, my main uncertainty is whether Sally really did get pregnant in Paris--the lack of evidence of Tom Woodson strikes me as bizarre. Despite my uncertainty surrounding the nature of their relationship, I am at least confident that it did exist. I'm rooting for it to have been physical and consensual to boot!
Mary O'Reilly

11) I think that it turned into love
After the extensive research and analysis we have conducted in this class, I have come to the conclusion that Jefferson and Hemings did have a relationship. I don't think that the relationship should be termed "rape," at least in the way we define rape today. Slaves were considered to be property at this time. Did Sally want the relationship at first? Although there is no way to know, I don't think she did. However, she must have known that how she felt did not matter. There was such an unequal balance of power between the two (age, race, sex) that it would be impossible to label their relationship as love (at least at first when she was so incredibly young). However, as their relationship progressed, I think that it turned into love.
Abigail Harris-Shea

12) A kind-hearted and amorous man
I believe Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings had a romantic relationship. Despite the fact that the Jefferson Establishment is very effective in presenting evidence to the contrary, the evidence in favor of the relationship seems undeniable. Jefferson was present nine months before the births of all of Sally Hemings' children, some were said to look eerily like him, and I don't believe this rumor came out of nowhere. Callender may have had ulterior motives in outing Jefferson, yet Jefferson acknowledged all of the other allegations Callender made against him--except those regarding Sally Hemings. Though there is not much historical evidence to assert that the relationship between the two was romantic, the fact that it persisted for thirty-eight years is incredibly convincing. Perhaps people also want to be romantics and believe that our third President was not a rapist but, in fact, a kind-hearted and amorous man who fell in love with the forbidden.
Samantha Feinberg

13) He was not a difficult choice for Sally
Thomas and Sally most certainly had a relationship. And after exploring many options in terms of what the relationship was, I believe it was what Suzette Spencer called "coersubmission." There is the unavoidable fact that Sally was still Thomas's slave, which confers upon her a certain degree of submissiveness. However, for a relationship to have sustained itself over so many years, it wasn't entirely based on dominance but a more mutual sense of coercion based on love. For Sally, consider the perception she had of Thomas: he was the President of the United States, an honorable man in the way he treated his slaves, and a charming persuader. For him to coerce her in bed, then, does not seem so outlandish. And, so, while the fact that he was her slavemaster restricts her options, it's not as if he was a difficult choice for Sally.
Brian Cohen

14) Longevity = loving
After months of studying this subject, I am confident in my assertion that a loving relationship existed between our third President and his slave Sally Hemings. Although some of the arguments against the relationship are compelling, I think the overwhelming evidence supports the relationship. The reason I believe it was loving is because of its longevity. If Sally had been raped or even had not fully consented to the sexual relationship, why would she have returned with Jefferson from Paris back to Monticello to suffer the same fate over and over again. After being tortured for months in Paris, Sally could have remained there with her brother a free woman. I believe she returned because she loved Jefferson and was expecting her first child, whom she wanted to be near Jefferson. Also, even if Jefferson had somehow coerced her into coming home with him despite abusing her, why would she never have had children with anyone other than Jefferson. Even when he was gone for long periods of time, Sally never remarried or had children with any other man. All of these signs point to the fact that Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings had a loving relationship.
Caroline Nype

15) 38 years is not something we can overlook
This seems to be the million-dollar question of this course. Yes, I do believe that a relationship existed between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. As for what kind, this is where it begins to get a little unclear. In my opinion, the relationship began out of shared grief over the loss of the late Mrs. Jefferson, Martha. Throughout the many documents we have read, a picture is painted of both Sally and Jefferson being greatly impacted by Martha's passing and Sally may have even resembled her physically. I think that once the grief passed, however, the relationship existed because of a newfound love. After all, 38 years is not something we can overlook.
Samantha Christal

16) An audacious young woman exercising agency
I believe that the relationship between Hemings and Jefferson was a deeply loving relationship. I recognize that to make such a claim may be slightly naïve in the face of the dominant white patriarchal structure of the time, still, I feel that the length of the relationship in addition to the fact that Sally returned to the States with Jefferson signifies a meaningful connection. Surely, Jefferson could have coerced the young girl into making the voyage back and willingly reentering slavery; however, I maintain that Sally was an intelligent girl who was fully aware of the decision she made. In other words, only sincere love of her master could possible transcend the evils of slavery; thus, surrendering her freedom was worth being near to her lover and father of her children. If the relations were not consensual, certainly Sally would have remained in Paris, free of the harsh realities of human bondage and rape. Yet, she returned with Jefferson as his property with the promise that her children would be free upon their twenty-first birthdays. Even if the Jefferson-Hemings relationship was more suggestive of a father-daughter bond as some argue, there were still feelings of love and loyalty that defined the union. Ultimately, my opinion is grounded in the belief that Sally Hemings was a bright, audacious young woman who exercised agency in making decisions about her future.
Erica Prosser

17) Too much information to be fabricated
Did it happen? That is a question historians have asked hundreds of times and have yet been able to answer. I think it did happen. After close examination of James Callender's exposition of the affair, regardless of his unprofessional style of journalism, his reporting was most likely accurate. The conveniences of the timing of their interactions lends itself too well to confirming the relationship. Also, the fact that this story has withstood the tests of time, been discussed by a variety of different sources, and picked apart detail by detail attests to its significance. Although no concrete fact can prove the relationship true, the same can be said about proving it false. There is simply too much information for the story to be fabricated in part or as a whole.
Sarah Freeman

18) Started as rape
I believe that this was a relationship that must have started out of confusion and lust, and probably rape. TJ was older, and at that point had settled on the "type" of woman he believed himself to be attracted to. There is evidence suggesting that TJ was deeply infatuated with Maria Cosway as well as other women of her age and stature. Perhaps Sally was intriguing because, as the documentation has said, she was strikingly beautiful and practically of white skin, and, therefore, Jefferson approached her. Slaves at the time did not have the right to say "no" to their masters. If Sally was approached by TJ, she would have to consent. In that manner, I believe that this relationship started as an act of rape. Sally was young, and I find it hard to believe that she would be mentally ready to sleep with a man, especially one that was so completely foreign to her. Despite how the relationship started, there must have been some sort of eventual and mutual feelings that kept the two together. It is true that TJ never chased after another woman after Sally (or Maria Cosway if one doesn't believe the scandal). As we also know, Sally had several children, but there is no documentation suggesting that it could have been another man. That's probably because TJ wasn't about to blame his actions on another person. Who could he possibly use to blame the birth of these children on who would not defend themselves? Instead TJ treated this issue in the same manner as he chose to deal with Callender-- ignore it. I would really like to believe that the relationship between Sally and TJ was one that eventually transformed into one of mutual affection of some sort.
Alexandra Neumann

19) My naive third-grade crush ended in a few weeks
I remember back in third grade I had a huge crush on a boy named Tim. He told me in a note that he liked me too, and I was elated. I went the whole nine yards with hearts around "T + S 4ever" on all of my notebooks and folders. One day an eighth grader asked why Tim was wasting his time talking to me at recess. Tim all of a sudden stopped talking to me during fire drills, in class, and on the playground but would talk to me on the bus when the older kids weren't around and when we had play dates on weekends. I was really hurt until I started to realize a similar pattern throughout high school; people would say one thing to be accepted and then act another way. I have come across people like that even at the end of college. And while I don't necessarily agree with it, I understand that it's human nature. Do I think Hemings and Jefferson had a relationship? Well, my naive third-grade crush ended in a few weeks. I didn't come close to thirty-eight years.
Stephanie DeLuca

20) We may never know
This is a really difficult question to ask because there is evidence for both sides of the argument. However, I believe that there was some sort of relationship between Jefferson and Hemings. I am still not convinced that it was a mutual loving relationship. Despite being given some special treatment, in reality, she was his slave and he was her master. We also know that in that time, it was common for a master to sleep with one or more of his slaves. On the other hand, we can't ignore the fact that she did receive special treatment from him. Also, we are told that she looked like his late wife Martha, so she may have reminded him of her. He may have truly loved her, but he may not have. The world may never know.
Samantha Gerstein

21) An intense emotional reason
Another piece of evidence that leads me to believe in the existence of their relationship is the fact that Sally returned to Monticello after her trip to Paris. In France, Sally had both her freedom and her brother, an older man who was experienced in the way of life in Paris and could facilitate her integration into Parisian society. The motivation for Sally to leave these opportunities must have been very great. This leads me to assume that some kind of emotional reason sat behind the issue. One potential reason could have been a fight between Sally and her brother. However, I find it highly unlikely that this would have prevented her from staying in Paris where she was free. Another potential reason could have been the relationship Sally built with Polly, though I don't think the relationship between a very young mistress and slave could have been strong enough to warrant Sally giving up her freedom. This leads me to conclude that Jefferson persuaded Sally, whether it was because he wanted to control her, because he loved her, because she was pregnant and he promised the freedom of her children, or because she was in love with him. The decision to give up her freedom was extremely momentous, and, in my belief, only an intense emotional reason could have made her choose slavery over freedom.
Katie Prosswimmer

22) I sold Sally short
Now the hard part: was it love, lust, or rape? I can immediately eliminate lust. Sally and the other Hemings belonged to Jefferson, and it would go against all of her family's morals to engage in a sexual relationship with him. She would not do so merely for the pleasure of having sexual intercourse, and she needed a greater motive. In the beginning of this class, I firmly believed it was a relationship based on rape. I could not comprehend how a fourteen-year-old, black female slave could possibly consent to her master. He owns her, and I didn't think a piece of property could have a decision over her body. Then, as I began to read contemporary works that portrayed a loving relationship, my opinion shifted. I felt bad that I sold Sally so short. Young females were seen as mature adults, and Sally was old enough, in this time period, to consent to a relationship. She was definitely beautiful and intelligent, and this could have caught Jefferson's eye. On account of her intelligence, it is possible that she was attracted to a smart man like Jefferson. I cannot say with certainty what kind of relationship occurred. I can say I intend to continue reading and viewing contemporary works, and, with time, I hope to reach a better conclusion.
Elizabeth Guzzo

23) Saying no is ignorant
Though there is little if any evidence of such an affair, I feel strongly that Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson indeed had a lasting relationship. History reveals countless situations in which white slave owners engage in sexual relations with their black slaves. Such an occurrence was nothing extraordinary, and to say that Jefferson did not participate in such a relationship simply because he was a "stand up" politician is ignorant. Indeed, Jefferson was a politician, and therefore his status as such explains the contradictions between his personal and public lives. The antebellum South practiced slavery primarily for its economic benefits, and, however repulsive, the institution was the norm for whites living in young America. Thus Jefferson, mindful of the beliefs and values of the majority, penned documents like Notes on the State of Virginia that detail the inferior status of African Americans. Many claim that Jefferson would never write such things about blacks if he did not firmly believe what he was writing. However, common sense and experience tell us that politicians are far more concerned with obtaining and retaining power than they are with upholding personal principles. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that the perspective Jefferson offered in Notes was incongruent with the values and philosophies that he held in his private life. Arguably, Jefferson's alleged relationship with Hemings is more telling of his character than his writings. It is possible that what Jefferson wrote in public was in opposition to what he truly felt about African Americans, and we should not be so dependent on written history as to dismiss oral tradition.
Erica Prosser

24) The evidence is almost excessive
I do believe that TJ and Sally had a relationship because, at this point, the evidence is almost excessive. Looking back in history, the relationship came to light because of a rumor that Callender spread. Despite Callender's loathsome personality and his obvious vendetta against TJ, it seems almost too bizarre that he would pull a story like that out of thin air. Looking at the scandal in a historical context, it was a known fact that masters slept with their slaves. Jefferson was a man who should not be held to different standards just because he lead an amazing and influential life through his politics, family, writings, etc. After reading in depth the biographies written in the 19th century, I have not found any proof to completely discredit that TJ and Sally had a relationship. Instead, there is only the character defense that suspiciously, but understandably so, was developed from Jefferson's "white" descendants. Not to mention there is now DNA evidence that concludes that Sally's descendants are somehow related to TJ's family. There are just too many "coincidences" and lack of evidence to discredit the relationship.
Alexandra Neumann

25) A complicated, imbalanced relationship
It is difficult for me to say what kind of relationship Jefferson and Hemings had. As Gordon-Reed discusses, it is almost impossible to comprehend a true, loving relationship between a master and slave, because a relationship created upon the foundation of slavery maintains slavery as one of its key characteristics. There is always an element of force and domination. Also, when one of the participants in the relationship is stripped of their status as a person with basic human rights, affected by the other participant in the relationship, how can there be true love? Once again, the word "but" rises to my lips as I am brought back to the fact that Jefferson freed Sally and her children after his death. If their relationship had been one of control and domination, wouldn't Jefferson, a genius of his time, have realized that the ultimate control would be to keep Sally and her children tied to his land and his home for the rest of their lives? Sally and her children obviously had to have held some special status in Jefferson's mind to be the only slaves that he freed. Sally's specific quiet freedom further shows that Jefferson cared about her enough to save her from the dangerous publicity that would have surely ensued had the press gotten wind of her liberation through Jefferson's will, essentially confirming their relationship and bringing the hatred of the racist world upon Sally. This act could have been interpreted as a last act of self-preservation to protect Jefferson's reputation, but I believe that if Jefferson had truly wanted to protect his reputation, he would not have left the freeing of Hemings's children on public record for anyone to see. Therefore, I see the Jefferson-Hemings relationship as complicated and full of imbalances brought on by the time period in which they lived, the ideologies with which Jefferson grew up, and the delicacies of Jefferson's political situation. I include some sort of love or affection in this list, not only sexually, but emotionally, at least enough to ensure the freedom of Sally after Jefferson's earthly hold on Sally ceased to exist.
Katie Prosswimmer