I am clearly going to have a difficult time following my own resolutions :)

One point that I am surprised has not been mentioned in regard to the
questions about the paternity of Heming's children is that there almost
certainly were *male* slaves bearing the Jefferson chromosone.  I suppose
it is possible we know whether or not such men existed, as seems likely.
My guess (and it is no more than that) is that they did.  If so, the
potential fathers of Hemings' children demonstrated by the DNA evidence is
greater than 25.

The question of Jefferson's moral complicity in slavery simply does not
rest, however, on the claim that he fathered one or more of Heming's
children.  In that regard, the entire dispute is a distraction from the
more important historical and (I would argue, moral) issues.  Both Paul
Rahe and Lance Banning, in the Scholars Report, offer nuanced commentary
that is relevant here, and I would recommend their thoughtful essays to any
interested reader.  Jefferson was not a monster, as for example James Henry
Hammonds most certainly was.  And Jefferson most certainly should be
honored for his quite real contribution to our public life.  But his
ownership of slaves and his treatment of his slaves does reveal the ways in
which his character was corrupted, almost certainly by the institution of
slavery itself.  He was not, as Rahe cogently points out, the man that
Washington, Madison, or Hamilton was.

Since any age that values freedom will always have to be concerned with its
antithesis, this strikes me as a salatury reminder of the ways in which
self-delusion works, even in our own country, even among our finest
statesmen, even among the most articulate spokesmen for our values.  What
could possibly be a more compelling example of the fragility of moral
judgement before the blandishments of power?  An American statesman,
speaking before the British House of Commons some years ago, said "if
history teaches anything, it teaches self-delusion in the face of
unpleasant facts is folly."  Whatever else one wishes to say of that man,
surely in that statement he achieved wisdom.

Best,
Kevin



--
Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of History, MSC 2001
James Madison University
Harrisonburg VA 22807
Phone:  540/568-6306
Email:  [log in to unmask]

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html