Sally’s Love is a Weapon against Slavery

By Tom Bianchi

[1] In this scene before Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson even get into any discussion about slavery and Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, they argue about the faithfulness of their relationship that eventually sparks the inevitable argument on slavery. His nephew Samuel Carr falsely tells Jefferson that, while Jefferson was away, he and Sally have been pursuing a relationship because of Sally’s loneliness. This upsets Jefferson heavily and causes him to hurl an accusation at Sally. For the first time we see Sally’s mother step in and partially disrupt the wonders of their relationship, and Jefferson is deeply surprised by the tone of Sally’s mother. It’s important to note the irony Tina Andrews focuses on here while Jefferson is being looked down upon by a slave, and Sally does not hesitate to call him out on this: “Of course you believe your White nephew and not your black concubine.” This is slave superiority over a President and big-time slave owner. Andrews capitalizes on this opportunity.

[2] While making this film, Andrews simply had an agenda. She wanted to place Sally in the proper position to question Jefferson. She aimed at establishing Sally as the representative voice for all African slaves in America. The important aspect of Sally’s voice was the education that enabled her to directly confront the president with slave issues while having the relationship with him. But essentially Andrews highlights Sally’s frustration with Jefferson. Even though their relationship was a true and lasting love story, in the end Sally could not get through to Jefferson on slavery although we see her coming very close in this scene, concluding with Jefferson on his knees dramatically confessing his love to her.

[3] After Sally calls out Jefferson for his pathetic insinuation of her disloyalty to him, she returns with an even greater accusation. The hypocritical nature of Jefferson in this scene puts the history of American discrimination and rule on the spot.

[4] Its truly amazing to watch as Sally rattles off the passages in Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia to his face, words that are understood as being so incredibly racist today. Reading them now makes it hard to believe how segregated America was in the late 18th century. You see Jefferson becoming extremely agitated as Sally recites his writings to him. He acts to snatch the book away from Sally and then awkwardly circles the room trying to fight his feelings of guilt. Jefferson knows and even admits that he is wrong. Frustration and hopelessness are on him as he shouts, “I wrote that 25 years ago, I was ignorant!” He is not the one to blame, but that doesn’t stop Sally from getting her message across and eventually calling him a liar. In this scene she is drastic and desperate to get his attention. Andrews finds it hard to believe that the “real” Sally Hemings would not push Jefferson while knowing of his power as the President of America. Sally even tries to use the emotions from their relationship to her advantage. Sally revealing to Jefferson her brutal scars on her back is not just a cry for sympathy but ammunition for arguing against slavery. Jefferson now feels even more responsible . . . Sally says to him, “Are you going to sit on your hands blaming the southern constituency?”

[5] The argument in this scene does not stop simply at Sally’s recitation of Jefferson’s Notes. Andrews takes it all the way to the point of Sally telling Jefferson she hates him. As a viewer when you hear Sally say this, you understand she does not truly mean this and is only talking out of her desperate feelings against slavery. After feeling Sally’s distressed display of emotions, Jefferson finally gets the sense that it is necessary for the first time to return and confess love to Sally. I believe Andrews puts Jefferson in a forced position here, with no choice but to repair the relationship the only way possible, by telling of his love for Sally. Doing this, he is forced to recognize the bondage of slavery more clearly. Jefferson then uncomfortably says to Sally, “I must do as you please,” as if he does not want anyone to hear him say it. This solidifies that the nature of slavery is not meant to be broken, but Sally comes through with a slight crack because of her relationship with Jefferson.

[6] This scene can become most memorable to the viewer because of the symbolism in its conclusion. Completely out of the norm, we see Jefferson down on his knees to Sally continuously reassuring her of his love. Their roles are switched; Sally is dominant. Andrews clearly stresses that Sally’s expressed outrage at Jefferson about his racist and derisive view of Blacks and their contribution to American culture was successful. Sally, representing the voice of the silenced, is heard in the conclusion of this scene. But the element of love takes over, and "despite their vast cultural differences . . . they remained devoted to each other."