Mr. Kiracofe,
If you think, for example: 1) when a baby sitter is the only person in the
house with a 6 month old baby; 2) when the parents come home the baby has
been beaten to death, 3) the baby sitter states that no one else has been in
the house, 4) that considering the conclusion that the baby sitter beat the
baby to death is NOT reasonable, 5) then I am not able to reason with you.
When """historical experts""" write biographys and IGNORE exculpatory
evidence that would most reasonably point to a reading of history much
different than theirs, in my opinion they are liars for not stating at the
outset that this is their interpretation; and to the extent they have
ignored excuplatory evidence, is fiction.
Additionally, I find these blogs are like a tree with branches, and that
repeatedly hashing over the same thing becomes a waste of time. I realize
that not everyone on this list, including me, reads and remembers all the
communications. I am replying no futher. Thank you for your reply.
Adrian Zolkover
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Kiracofe" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 1:59 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Annette Gordon-Reed praised by Edmund Morgan
Ms. Zolkover,
I'm not sure why I am being thus addressed, but finding that you have
written me such a long involved message, it would be ill-mannered to decline
to respond.
I've reading both of those Jefferson defenses, thank you for mentioning
them. They are not very good sources for historical understanding, however,
because of the manner in which they approach the questions (just for one
example, the historical question of Jefferson and Sally Hemings is not a
modern paternity suit with its particular rules of legal evidence) I suggest
that you check out some other books on the subject that handle the evidence
from a historical position.
Your compilation of evidence is interesting -- I'm struck by how much of it
is entirely irrelevant. It seems that much of your evidence is, in fact, a
diversion from relevant material. A few examples:
1) Sally lived at Monticello from childhood through many child bearing
years, and didn't become pregnant until Sally was 22 years old, 13 years
after Martha died.
Are you suggesting that because Sally did not become pregnant soon after
Martha's death, Jefferson could not be the father of her children?
4) The rumor that Sally was Thomas Jefferson's wife Martha's half sister is
just that, a rumor. Sally is said to have been a light mulatto and pretty.
The various myths disagree with Martha Jefferson's father's business
dealings, ports, etc., and there is no DNA evidence that she is a blood
relative to Martha.
Although this may be interesting in terms of Sally's identity, are you
saying that Jefferson only would have fathered children with a woman who was
his deceased wife's half-sister?
6) Thomas Jefferson arrived in Paris 1784, as the U.S. Ambassador to France,
and was accompanied by his oldest daughter Martha who was 12 years old, and
James Hemings. 1787, three years later, Jefferson's other daughter Mary
accompanied by Sally Hemings arrived in Paris. Thomas Jefferson and his
family returned from Paris December 1789. Sally's first child Harriet was
born on October 5, 1795 when Thomas Jefferson was 52 years old; he was 65
years old when Eston, Sally's last child, was born. In those days life
expectancy was much shorter and people aged earlier, and had the ailments
that may arrive with age. Thomas Jefferson had severe arthritis for many
long years, and other ailments that appear with aging.
Are you suggesting that because Jefferson was old and arthritic he could not
have fathered children with Sally Hemings? I'm struck that you suggest
elsewhere that Randolph might have been the father at age 52, but seem to be
resisting the idea that Thomas should be a father at 52.
10) In archives is a letter dated August 12, 1807 where Thomas Jefferson
writes to his brother Randolph that Randolph's twin sister was then visiting
Monticello and that he and his family were invited to visit, and also that
Randolph was expected to deliver grass seed to Monticello. This was slightly
more than 9 months before Eston's birth. Randolph and his family likely
visited at that time.
Since Thomas Jefferson was evidently writing this letter from Monticello, I
assume he was still there when Randolph visited. Are you saying that
because his siblings were visiting he could not have been the father of
Sally Hemings' children?
I could go on, but I think that these make the point sufficiently. I
understand your regard for Jefferson. I am an admirer of him myself, but I
have seen little evidence that satisfied me that Jefferson could _not_ be
the father. Please note that I am not saying that he was, merely that I
have seen no satisfactory proof to the contrary. As I wrote in my original
post to which you responded, the historical profession has guidelines for
the handling of evidence, and the books that you dismiss as attacks on
Jefferson's character generally follow those guidelines. You, I, and anyone
else are free to question the interpretations, but it is unkind to mkae
accusations of conspriacies and imply ulterior motives for people who are
only trying their best to understand the past and the lives of soem of the
people who inhabited that past.
David Kiracofe
David Kiracofe
History
Tidewater Community College
Chesapeake Campus
1428 Cedar Road
Chesapeake, Virginia 23322
757-822-5136
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