Sally Hemings and Jefferson

Although there are no known portraits of Sally Hemings, she has been described as "light colored and 

decidedly good looking."  This is an artist's rendering of how Hemings may have looked

Follow the link below for a brief history on Sally Hemings, the slave with whom Thomas Jefferson had at least six children in a relationship that lasted for more than 30 years.  Watch the video, take notes and be prepared to discuss if and how both Sally Hemings and the excerpt from the Notes on the State of Virginia have changed your perception of Jefferson, a ubiquitous figure in American history.

Link: Sally Hemings biography


For additional consideration: Sally Hemings in Pop Culture
Do you watch ABC's "Scandal?  In this Shonda Rhimes show, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), trapped in a tumultuous affair with Pres. Grant (Tony Goldwyn), compares herself to Sally Hemings.  Watch the video and think about how this dynamic between a fictional president and his mistress would differs from the dynamic between Jefferson and Hemings.