HISTORIAN ALF MAPP REVIEW---

Review: William G. Hyland, Jr's In the Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemings Sex Scandal

William G. Hyland Jr.’s In Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemings Sex Scandal, is a well-reasoned refutation of the efforts to exploit Thomas Jefferson’s reputation. Hyland uses his skill as a seasoned trial lawyer to remind his readers and the general public that America believes a man is innocent until proven guilty. The DNA test neither proved nor dispelled the rumor. It simply said that it is possible that one of roughly 25 Jefferson males could be the father of Sally Hemings’ youngest son, Eston. This test could not distinguish between the offspring of male-line ancestors and is thereby inconclusive.

I was one of the 13-member Jefferson-Hemings Scholars Commission which studied the DNA evidence, and it was unanimously agreed that there was not enough information to prove either way, although one member believed there was a chance Thomas Jefferson had fathered Eston. In 2001, the commission believed that the public had been misled about the significance attached to the DNA tests. Dr. Eugene Foster and his associates, who performed the tests, also acknowledged that the results do not suggest that Thomas Jefferson was Eston’s father but that a descendant of one of Sally Hemings’ children carries Jefferson genetic markers. Yet, time and time again, authors have blatantly cited the evidence as conclusive information proving that Thomas Jefferson fathered Eston and therefore all of Sally’s children.

Hyland dismisses this as nonsense. He uses information gathered from many prominent historians to help prove his case. He believes Thomas Jefferson is innocent for many reasons. One of the most important is the lack of absolute evidence.

Most Americans believe that an individual is innocent until proven guilty. Not so in this case. Jefferson cannot take the stand in his own defense and his reputation has sometimes been questioned for the sake of profit and fame.