Thomas Jefferson hid his private life from the public. The American people knew him as a statesman and leader, but to his family, he was a warm and loving man. Jefferson had sophisticated tastes in wine, he enjoyed playing the violin, he was an architect, and he was devoted to his family.
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Jefferson also had another side that people were not allowed to see. After his wife's death, he promised her that he would never marry again, and he kept his promise, but that did not mean that he would go without the pleasures of female companionship. Jefferson engaged in a long affair with his slave, Sally Hemings, even fathering children with her, according to the author. The author claims Sally Hemings was the biological half-sister of Jefferson's wife, she was the product of a liason between Jefferson's father-in-law, and a slave. This would have made Sally Hemings a sister-in-law to Thomas Jefferson, but as a slave, she was given no legal recognition.
The review of this Book prepared by Nathaniel Ford
