Book Review: In Defense of Thomas Jefferson, The Sally Hemings Sex Scandal by William G. Hyland, Jr.

Raise your hand if you have heard that Thomas Jefferson fathered children by his slave, Sally Hemings. Many know this story. Perhaps your child has told you he learned it in school. Maybe you learned it in your college history class. After all, the DNA from Thomas’ descendants and from Heming’s descendants matched and conclusively proved it. Didn’t it?

But what if Thom is getting a raw deal? What if persons with a political agenda conspired to twist the facts to fit their view that the founders were a bunch of miscreants, scalawags, and scoundrels? William G. Hyland, Jr., a former prosecutor with more than a quarter of a century of litigation experience, makes the case that our third President may have been falsely accused. The reported “DNA proof” could have just as easily implicated more than a dozen other Jefferson males. The idea of Thomas Jefferson consorting with his slaves goes against all we know about his beliefs and character.

What is the truth? Putting forth credible evidence against the former President’s dalliance and answering the evidence submitted by those who would disparage Jefferson’s reputation and literally have him rewritten in the historical record, Hyland presents a case that casts major doubt on the “Sally story.” In this book, you will learn of:

• The origin of the scandal – an alcoholic, muck-raking journalist who has been called, “human nature in a hideous form.”
• The salacious details of other Jefferson males who had the motives, opportunity, and character to the commit the act of which Thomas has been accused.
•  The denials of those closest to Thomas, his daughter and grandchildren. They assert that had any impropriety taken place in the home, it could have not been hidden from them.
• The mishandling of the DNA evidence that would have rendered it inadmissible in a court of law.
• The commitment Thomas made to his dying wife not to re-marry and that he would remain faithful to her memory.

Hyland’s book is not the opinion of one patriotic soul, distressed that an American icon has been shown to have feet of clay. His evidence is well-documented with citations and source references. There are eight appendices which put the evidence in context and give collaborating testimonies. Even a cursory reading will convince you that the full story has been misinterpreted, at best, or intentionally misdirected at the worst.

To purchase this book now, click here.