Sally Hemings, the slave girl with whom Thomas Jefferson had children, poses a problem to our political understanding of Jefferson because:

Question

Group of answer choices

All of the above

Jefferson's slaves built his home

Jefferson publicly wrote about and supported equality

Jefferson owned slaves

Answer 1

The best choice in this context is "All of the above." Each of the provided statements contributes to the complexity of understanding Thomas Jefferson's political and personal legacy in light of his relationship with Sally Hemings and the broader implications of his ownership of slaves.

1. Jefferson's slaves built his home: This speaks to the contradictions between his ideals and his actions—while he espoused principles of liberty and equality, his home and wealth were built on the labor of enslaved people.

2. Jefferson publicly wrote about and supported equality: Jefferson is known for writing the Declaration of Independence, which eloquently expresses the principle of equality. However, his actions in owning slaves directly contradict this ideology.

3. Jefferson owned slaves: This fact alone raises significant moral and ethical questions about his character and the values he promoted.

Together, these points illustrate the difficulties in reconciling Jefferson's public philosophy with his private actions, especially regarding Sally Hemings and slave ownership.