Jefferson in Paris—Freedom in France

By Dallas Gage

[1] Jefferson in Paris is a 1995 film based on a semi-fictional account of Thomas Jefferson’s role as Ambassador of the United States to France and his alleged relationships with Maria Cosway and his slave Sally Hemings. In France, slavery is outlawed, which means any slave brought over from the United States is free. The first scene that talks about freedom occurs about half-way through the movie (1:14), when Jefferson is talking to other Americans, the Byrd’s. This scene triggers the final scene in which James and Sally try to claim their freedom (2:07). Some may interpret Jefferson’s actions in these scenes as understanding and caring of other peoples’ worries and needs; however, this first scene about freedom is important because it shows how Jefferson’s subtle controlling nature is cleverly disguised through his mannerisms.

[2] Jefferson’s control is subtly shown in this scene through his posture, speech, actions, and tone. In this scene Jefferson is talking to the Byrd’s, who have moved to France with their slave Horatius Byrd. They come to Jefferson worried that their slave will find out about his rights granted to him by living in France and refuse to go back to the states with them. The first sign of control throughout Jefferson’s conversation with the Byrd’s is shown here while Jefferson is standing and the Byrd’s are sitting. This automatically gives Jefferson control of the conversation, and it looks as if he is superior and is talking down to them.

[3] During this conversation, James Hemings, Jefferson’s slave, walks in to deliver a message to him. As James is on his way out, he overhears Mr. Byrd say to Jefferson, “If slavery’s illegal in France, the boy could claim he was free and refuse to go back home with us,” talking about his slave Horatius. After James delivers his message, he waits for Jefferson to reply, which he does in a whisper, “Strictly speaking, the answer to your question is ‘yes,’ but I don’t think your boy would know enough to claim that right.” This is the next sign of Jefferson’s control. James is standing at the door listening to the conversation, and Jefferson responds in a whisper. Through this action, it is evident that Jefferson is controlling what is being heard by James. Jefferson is convincing the Byrd’s that their slave will be unaware of his rights, and Jefferson does not want his own slaves to know they have the same rights. Ironically, Jefferson’s slightly loses control of the situation because now James is listening in to the conversation.

[4] At this point, James has a wide-eyed expression on his face -- it is the first time that he has heard about his freedom. James approaches the conversation to clear away the tea cups while trying to better listen to the conversation. As he does this, Mr. Byrd says to Jefferson, “Didn’t you yourself, Mr. Jefferson, bring over two of your servants from Virginia?” Jefferson looks up to see James standing right there and signals the Byrd’s to leave the room. As they are leaving, Jefferson turns back to look suspiciously at James, whose back is turned to him, knowing now that James is aware of his right to freedom. Ushers the Byrd’s out of the room shows Jefferson’s control -- he is controlling the environment and again what is being heard by James.

[5] Also, throughout this scene, Jefferson is showing control through his speech. All through Jefferson’s conversation with the Byrd’s, he was convincing them they did not have to worry about the boy finding out he is free. Jefferson says this because he has confidence that his slaves will never refuse to go back to Monticello with him. As seen through these examples, Jefferson’s control is subtly portrayed in this scene through his position, speech, manner, and tone.

[6] Next, the idea of Jefferson’s subtle control is strengthened in the last scene of the film, in which James and Sally, his younger sister, inform Jefferson they are staying in France to be free. In this scene, Jefferson finds out Sally is pregnant, and he knows he is the father. James speaks for Sally when he says they want to be free in France. Jefferson asks if Sally cares about his thoughts and feelings about this decision, and James answers saying, “she don’t understand nothing. She do what I say.” Jefferson here starts to subtly manipulate James by bringing to his attention that he is now in charge of Sally and the child and that they are on their own with no help from him. James tries to convince Jefferson in a shaky voice that they will be able to take care of themselves. A fight for control between James and Jefferson ends here when Jefferson convinces James to come back to Virginia, where he will gain his freedom along with Sally.

[7] When Jefferson cannot gain full control of James, he starts to take control of Sally’s emotions because he knows their relationship makes her more vulnerable and he knows that James will not abandon his little sister. Jefferson controls Sally’s emotions by asking her how she feels about being on her own and taking care of herself and her baby, knowing that she is not in any position to do so. Sally cries, “Where do I go?” also knowing that she cannot take care of herself and a baby. Jefferson can see that James is worried he will not be able to take care of Sally, so he proposes another idea -- James can claim his freedom whenever they return home, while Sally and her child stay under the care of Jefferson, only to be freed upon his death. Here is an example of Jefferson’s control being disguised as his care and love for Sally. It is probable that these are his intentions in this scene; however, he is also trying to gain control over his slaves at the same time. James tries to take the control back by making Jefferson swear his promises on the Holy Bible. James initially appears to be in control, until Jefferson swears that he will free James but within two years of returning to Virginia, not whenever James wishes, as Jefferson had said before. Jefferson then makes James swear he will teach the other cooks in Monticello “French cookery.” In this scene, Jefferson’s control is shown cleverly through his speech. It is subtle because his tone is caring, and he passively listens to what James has to say, but he knows just what to say to make James and Sally come back to Monticello.

[8] In conclusion, Jefferson is seen to be controlling throughout the film, and it is strongly seen in these scenes when freedom is the subject. Jefferson’s control is shown subtly through his actions, tones, posture, and speech. These two scenes show how the master of the house exerts his subtle tyrannical control usually mistaken for care and support.