I will COMMENT on Professor Kiracofe's remarks in each paragraph below. Herb Barger David Kiracofe wrote: > The renewal of the Jefferson-Hemings scandals -- > or "fiasco" -- has emerged to overshadow what I, as a > professional historian, had hoped would be the larger > imapct of the DNA studies. That is, I had hoped the > findings would focus greater attention on the > complexitities of slavery and racial categories in > early America. COMMENT: And so would the politacally correct historical > revisionists among us. The simple amateur DNA Study originated only to > prove or disprove the Carr brothers involvement. When the DNA eliminated > them, in the absence of others to compare with Thomas Jefferson and the > Jefferson DNA, Nature assumed that Thomas just had to be the only one > suspect. If Dr. Foster had given Nature the information that he knew about > Mr. Jefferson's brother, Randolph and five sons, that I had given him, > there would be NO way that Nature could write such a false and misleading > headline. However Dr. Foster did make it perfectly clear and cite some > references I had asked that he list, in his 2nd article of Jan. 7, 99, but > it was too late.....some of the media and others with agendas were > "crowing". Bottom line, "Never leave our valuable history in the hands of > amateurs and "authorities" who have reasons to distort history and > science." LET US ALWAYS HAVE A 2ND OPINION, JUST AS IN IMPORTANT MEDICAL > DECISIONS! > So many of the issues involved in the specific Jefferson-Hemings case > appear unanswerable: what was their relationship? (If it wasn't sexual, > what was it? why were her children manumitted? etc. -- if it was sexual, > what was the nature of that relationship? consensual or coerced? amatory or > convenience?). DNA will not answer such questions even if it can provide a > 100% guaranteed answer to paternity. COMMENT: My long study of this issue > and NOW that I assisted Dr. Foster on the study from an inside knowledge, I > am able to see where things went WRONG, who makes them go wrong, who is > benefiting from the false headline and the motives of those involved. There > is NOTHING to show a Thomas Jefferson-Sally Hemings relationship anywhere. > He only mentions her name three or four times with reference to some minor > things such as baggage etc. She received average issues of food, clothing > and bedding as other slaves. Some recent films and Sally Hemings programs > on TV (PBS Frontline & A&E Biography, I was interviewed extensively for > both programs BUT you did not see my opposing views), have tried to make > the public believe the rumors were true. We all heard so much on the CBS > series on Sally Hemings, one of those was, that while in Paris Thomas > Jefferson and Sally Hemings signed an agreement to release her childern at > age 21........WHY did Beverly wait to age 24 to RUN AWAY? I have never read > anywhere of Mr. Jefferson being untruthful and going back on a contract. > WHY would he now go back on such an agreement (if there was one). We also > now are able to see that either Madison Hemings or Samuel Wetmore (an > abolitionist who wrote the article) of the Madison article in Pike Co., > Ohio are far from being truthful by stating that Madison was named by Dolly > Madison while she was visiting Monticello when he was born. She was NOT at > Monticello on January 19, 1805 and neither was Thomas Jefferson. There are > many inconsisties in the article and the back up of Madison's friend has > much to desire in truth according to TJ's grandson, Thomas Jefferson > Randolph. > I for one would like to see more discussion of the > complexities of race and slavery as indicated by the > Jefferson-Hemings case. A number of people have > commented on the matter of racial mixing and mulatto > people in the South, but what we have in this case are > some extremely "white" mulattoes -- Sally Hemings > herself was at most only one-fourth of African descent; > her children then only one-eighth. Some of Hemings' > grandchildren eventually passed into the white > community. Doesn't this complicate a picture of white > masters and black slaves? How many slaves were people > who looked white? To get back to the original scandal - > - Callender's story of "Tom" who was recognized in the > neighborhood, was not the black image of his reputed > father, but probably a very white one. COMMENT: Generalities again about > the slavery issue......NOT the DNA issue. > All the masters did it so Jefferson MUST have did the same. The DNA Study > has been surrounded by people "repeating" the same things about slavery and > about mulattoes around Monticello. There were several white/black liasions > going on, some with Sally's mother. Anyone care to comment on the 5 weeks > absence of Sally for 5 weeks training away from the Jeffersons in Paris, > EXACTLY 9 months prior to her return to Monticello in Dec. 23, 1789??? Dr. > Foster and I also discussed alternatives to the Woodson claims. > I was struck by this issue lately while looking at some photographic images > from the Reconstruction period of children in a freedman's school. The > pupils appeared to be both black and white -- an integrated classroom.But > of course this was not the case; the children were all freed people. > COMMENT: What does this observation have to do with the DNA Study? > Continuing to fight over Jefferson's reputation seems pretty unproductive > in light of the bigger picture. > David Kiracofe Texas Tech University COMMENT: It is just not wholy about > Jefferson's reputation......it's about lies and false statements cast by > politically correct historical revisionists who are teaching our children > in some of the universities today. In my research and the research of many > others there is NOTHING to prove that Thomas Jefferson fathered any Hemings > child. > Herbert Barger Jefferson Family Historian > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html