If we don't stop this discussion I'm going to SCREAM!
How easy it is for us, here in the 21st century, with our hindsight and 
enlightened sensibilities to condemn and judge.
May I dare say that just about any one of us, given the miserable 
opportunity and the economic prowess, had we lived back then, probably would 
have owned some slaves?
Are we so high minded that we can just sit here and slam away?
Judging is a sickening practice especially when the era and subject are so 
far removed and we can conveniently apply today's morality to yesterday's.

DF Mills
York County,VA




----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 6:14 PM
Subject: Re: DNA In Jefferson-Hemings controversy


  Sex between a slave woman and a free man was inherently coercive and 
nonconsentual.  Hemings provides us with evidence that this almost certainly 
happened at Monticello.  And Jefferson did *nothing* about it.
>
> Here is one small indication of the much larger moral issue.  Jefferson 
> owned slaves, and no matter how you cut it, he was corrupted by the 
> experience.  Whether he had sex with Hemings or not, the experience of 
> owning slaves shaped his moral character in ugly ways.
>
.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html 

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