Sally Hemings and her children were 'Heritage Americans'
James Callender first alleged that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with his slave, Sally Hemings, more than 200 years ago. A century and a half ago, one of those children, Madison Hemings, stated publicly that Jefferson was his father. But only in the past week has the genetic evidence proved irrefutable, indicating that it was the Founding Father himself and not any of his other male relatives who sired the Hemings children.
TL;DR
- James Callender first accused Thomas Jefferson of fathering children with his slave, Sally Hemings, over two centuries ago.
- Madison Hemings, one of Sally Hemings' children, publicly stated Jefferson was his father.
- Recent genetic evidence has irrefutably confirmed Thomas Jefferson as the father of the Hemings children.
- Opponents, including Jefferson's descendants and the Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society, have historically denied this paternity, sometimes attributing it to political or racial motivations.
- The Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society was founded to deny paternity after 1998 DNA tests excluded Jefferson's nephews.