UNpacked: Sally Hemings and Slavery Romanticism

I'm proud to introduce my UNpacked series! In UNpacked, I will tackle issues concerning race, gender, socio-economic status, etc that I uncover or grapple with during my travels. I hope it sparks a dialogue for you to have with your loved ones, or even encourages you to do research and further educate yourself about the topic.

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While doing research for future road trips, I found myself visiting Virginia's official tourism website for ideas. After clicking through a few pages I came across a listing of African American historic sites that I was initially very excited to explore. No matter where I vacation I ALWAYS visit black historic sites. It is my way of feeling in touch with my heritage, as well as learning more about the history of the travel destination.

However, what I found on the Virginia webpage gave me pause. In an overview of Monticello, located in Charlottesville, VA, I read the following:

See Monticello through the lens of the Hemings Family, the best documented enslaved family in the United States, through special guided tours and the new exhibit, The Life of Sally Hemings, Jefferson’s concubine who not only bore several of his children but successfully negotiated their freedom as well.

Best documented enslaved family? Jefferson's CONCUBINE? I still can't deny how off-putting the passage sounds...like these are points of pride in US history *side eye*. However, this minimalization of slavery is not unusual throughout history. Although a touchy and controversial subject to some, slavery is also quite frequently romanticized in American culture. I won't delve into all the ways this happens, but a popular example is the rebranding of plantations in the American south as vacation destinations and event venues - for weddings in particular.

In this same vein, slave and slave owner relationships are often romanticized, as I feel is the case with Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a concubine is a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife. However, as a slave woman with no agency...can we truly call Hemmings a "concubine" or "mistress"? There were no rights protecting slave women from the sexual advances of slave owners. 

I pondered this question while visiting the Black History Museum and Cultural Center in Richmond, VA earlier this year (pre-COVID quarantine). 

In an exhibit entitled The Paradox of Liberty I learned some interesting facts about Sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson's "relationship" that truly made me question how this story of "forbidden love" is typically presented.

THE FACTS:

1. Sally Hemmings was born into slavery to her mother, Elizabeth Hemings. Her father was the owner of the plantation, John Wayles.
2. Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, was Sally Hemings' half-sister. Martha "inherited" the Hemings' family following the death of John Wayles and brought them to Monticello in 1774. Hemings was likely only a year old.
3. Martha died in 1782, four months after the birth of her last child.
4. At the age of 14, Hemings went to France to serve as a handmaid to Jefferson's daughter Maria. She lived her life "freely" while overseas, learning French and attending parties with Jefferson's daughters. It was at this time that Hemings and Jefferson were "sexually involved". 
5. After negotiating privileges for herself and freedom for her future children, she agreed to revisit her life as a slave in America. By 1789, Hemings returned to Virginia - pregnant with Jefferson's child. She would go on to bear 6 children by Jefferson. 4 lived into adulthood. Some of her children chose to "pass" as white and blend into the white community.

After my visit to the BHMVA, I struggled with these truths. The thought of a 14-year-old slave girl propositioned by a slave master. Sally Hemings living as his "mistress" in France and his sex slave in the U.S. I use the term "sex slave" because Hemings was never formally liberated by Jefferson. So while likely receiving privileges many slaves did not, she was still enslaved up until Jefferson's death. It's hard for me to accept the often "romantic" presentation of this narrative. However, I have nothing but respect and admiration for Hemings because she did what was necessary to survive slavery and help her children gain freedom. 

 

Have you ever learned some interesting history while traveling? Tell me all about your experience in the comments below or give me a shout out on IG @theinvincible_jasmine. 

Happy travels,

Jasmine (The Invincible)