HISTORY

Why No One Should Be Calling Sally Hemings Thomas Jefferson's Mistress

This terminology implies a level of consent never given

AI-generated portrait of 14-year-old Sally Hemings near Monticello | Created by the author using Canvia

From a Black American perspective, this country has a duplicitous nature, like Thalia and Melpomene, the Greek comedy and tragedy mask. How else can you explain that Thomas Jefferson, our country's third president and "founding father," who claimed "all men are created equal" in The Declaration of Independence enslaved hundreds of Black people? At Monticello, his Virginia plantation, Jefferson deprived hundreds of Black people of any semblance of equality, let alone the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," he alluded to in America's founding doctrine. And the story of Sally Hemings puts a fine point on the injustices Black women regularly experienced during the chattel slavery era.

In historical texts, many people have referred to Sally Hemings, who was 14 years old when 44-year-old Thomas Jefferson began a sexual relationship with her as his "concubine" or "mistress." For instance, in 1802, James Callender wrote in a Virginia newspaper that Sally was Jefferson's "concubine," adding, "It is well-known." However, once you understand the nature of slavery, you will realize why this terminology aims to protect the character of the enslaver while…