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Article: When a saint becomes a sinner.(Thomas Jefferson's alleged affair with a slave)(Abstract)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- November 9, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Public affection for Jefferson is so strong that his legacy seems secure
Joseph J. Ellis, a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College, won a 1997 National Book Award for American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson.
Well, now we know. More fastidious minds may linger over scientific details and statistical probabilities, and a few die-hard Jefferson worshipers will surely mount a spirited assault on the reliability of DNA evidence. The fact
that there is not a match with the first of Sally Hemings's children, Thomas, may deflect some attention from the match with her last child, Eston.
But the Eston match is really all that ...