| Episodes |
CLASS / UNIT PROMPT
African Americans and white commentators on race naturally make Jefferson a central figure during the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s, and prominent white historians see the renewed visibility of the Jefferson-Hemings story eroding the official narrative and rush to exonerate the Founding Father, labeling the story a "myth" or a "legend" in an attempt to lift him out of contemporary social conflicts.
Reviving the Story
In the first part, pay close attention to the range of sources for the revival (Bennett, Graham, Malcolm X, Furnas, Debnam, Bruckberger), how the players in the scandal are characterized, and the reasons for continued interest. What "use" is made of Jefferson and of Hemings? What agendas do they fit in to?
Trashing the Story
Pay close attention to the rhetorical and argumentative strategies the "Jefferson Establishment" historians use (Adair, Peterson, Jordan, Malone). How -- specifically -- is Jefferson defended? And is there anything new here from the kinds of defenses (character defense, other man defense, victim syndrome) that we saw in the earlier period? Pay special attention to the articles by Graham and Adair. Read them closely.
