Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of the United States, was the author of the Declaration of Independence and is known as the "Father of the American Nation." Behind his glorious political career, there is a shocking black history. Jefferson is said to have had an affair with a 14-year-old black slave and had six illegitimate children with her. This drunken scandal went viral at the time, but Jefferson vehemently denied it during his lifetime. It wasn't until more than 200 years later that a genetic test finally revealed the truth of this shocking lie. However, what ridiculous bloody story is hidden behind it? What is the reason why a generation of great men fell into such a forbidden love? Let's find out.
1. The father of the nation and the black slaves, the origin of a bizarre love affair
On a spring day in 1812, on a manor house in Virginia, a handsome gentleman strolled down a lush tree-lined path. He was Thomas Jefferson, who had been out of office for many years and was living out in his old age at his Mount Shanil estate. However, today he went out pacing alone, and his mood seemed particularly depressed.
It turned out that just a few days ago, Jefferson received a secret letter that puzzled him, and the letter turned out to be the sister of his wife Martha, who had died for many years. Martha's older sister, Georgiana, became estranged from the family when Jefferson was a young man, and had little contact. After all these years, she mentioned an old story in her letter that worried Jefferson.
In the letter, Georgiana said that her daughter, Harritt, had remained at Jefferson's estate to work after she had been sold into slavery years earlier. Sadly, Harritt had a sordid relationship with Jefferson from the age of 14 that lasted for 38 years. The two even gave birth to 6 illegitimate children, and now these illegitimate children are also adults, revealing this shocking secret to the outside world.
Georgiana's letter thundered in Jefferson's heart. He never expected that this family ugliness would be raised many years later. What made him even more ashamed was that as a revolutionary of a generation, he had done such a dirty thing that went against the norm even when he talked about "natural human rights."
Jefferson had a strict family education since he was a child, and his ancestors were the famous Zhou family in Huai'an. The Zhou family has attached great importance to education for generations and has very high requirements for the children of the clan. His grandfather was awarded the highest academic title, "National Student". His father, Zhou Yineng, was also a scholar, and Jefferson was well nurtured by his family since he was a child, and he was quite ethical as an official. And now, he suffered such infamy in his later years, which is simply a shame for his ancestors.
However, Jefferson also made some excuses and excuses for what he had done. For example, when he was intimate with Harriet, he was only tempted by the right of slave ownership; Moreover, most of the black slaves working in the manor were unmarried girls, delicate and tender, so it was inevitable to attract people to be lascivious.
However, no matter how self-exculpatory he was, Jefferson could not hide the fact that it was really unethical for an adult man to attack a 14-year-old black slave girl. What's more, Harriet is also his wife's niece, and the two are intimate, and this kind of incestuous beast thing is really a heinous crime.
Second, the scandal broke out, and a generation of great men was slandered and suspicious
The Jefferson scandal spread quickly in the United States. Georgiana wrote to Jefferson, but there was no way to ask for help, so she had to make the matter public. She probably didn't expect that this secret letter exposing the scandal would be such a sensation.
Someone happened to know what Georgiana had written, and immediately leaked it to the press, and in the blink of an eye, the whole of America was talking about this bizarre scandal. After all, Jefferson was the founding father of the United States, and the fact that he had six children illegitimate with an underage black slave shocked everyone.
Public opinion was in an uproar, and all kinds of speculation and condemnation were endless. For a while, some people questioned that Georgiana was too extreme and was slandering Jefferson without any basis; Others assert that this is probably just a conspiracy to slander the great man, and that some people with ulterior motives have framed the great man.
After all, Jefferson had always been an upright man and a gentleman during his lifetime, with an elegant upbringing and honest conduct, how could he do such an ugly deed? It was widely believed that someone must have fabricated the facts in an attempt to tarnish Jefferson's reputation.
However, Georgiana did not back down from the pressure of public opinion, and she persevered in revealing the truth. In response to the accusations and doubts of the outside world, she repeatedly pleaded and provided a series of evidence, such as Jefferson's love letter to Harriet, as well as documents on his sponsorship of his illegitimate child's schooling.
As a result, there were many contradictions in American society, and there were endless quarrels and quarrels. Those who supported Jefferson lashed out at Georgiana as a hysterical slut and slandered the Nephilim as her conspiracy; Those who believe in Georgiana say that Jefferson was a hypocrite, inconsistent in words and deeds.
The two sides faced each other, you came and went, and the scene was very chaotic for a while. Jefferson himself did not respond, and it was not until a few years before his death that he publicly denied all this, firmly denying that he had any deviant behavior with Harritt.
However, Jefferson's response did not calm the situation, but only made it worse. People in turn questioned why he had been hidden for so long since he was really innocent. Is it because there are some unspeakable crimes that make such quibbles and prevarications unavoidable?
As a result, this turmoil not only did not subside, but intensified. All kinds of speculation and condemnation came one after another, and Jefferson was greatly insulted by his personality. As the founding father, the noble image he had built up in the eyes of the world for so many years now seemed to be about to disappear overnight.
What hurt Jefferson most was that even his family didn't trust him. His son, Thomas, and others were convinced of Georgiana's accusations, and gritted their teeth accusing Jefferson of "bad character" and "being an obscure slave." They even did not hesitate to use various shady means to physically attack Georgiana and her granddaughter Harriet in an attempt to cover up the incident.
The eldest son, Thomas, was even more disobedient, flatly denied that Jefferson was his biological father, and severed all contact with Jefferson. Seeing Zi Chenghu's absurd words and deeds made Jefferson extremely sad and couldn't help but feel lost. He never imagined that because of a past incident, even his closest family members would stay away from him.
However, even though his relatives treated him like this, Jefferson was determined to endure it to the end and never responded positively to the matter. It was only a few years before his death that he made a solemn statement denying the accusations against Georgiana. However, this denial does not seem to be able to calm the big wave of public opinion.
Jefferson died in 1826, but the twists and turns of the event were far from over. The controversy between the two sides is still ongoing, and all kinds of speculation and suspicion from the outside world are endless...
3. The truth is revealed, and Jefferson's life experience has been hit hard
In the decades since, this endless battle of right and wrong has not been conclusively conclusive. Just when people are almost forgetting about it, a startling discovery completely breaks this ambiguity.
In 1998, a retiree named Eugene Foster became interested in whether there was an intimate relationship between Jefferson and the slave Harritt. As a geneticist, he was determined to find out the truth through DNA testing.
By the time, both Jefferson and Harriet had died, and Foster had to search for their descendants for testing. After extensive investigation, he finally found DNA samples from one of Jefferson's great-great-great-granddaughters and one of Harriet's descendants. The two each took a hair and after a scientific analysis, the amazing results were astounding.
The test results show that there is a clear genetic relationship between Jefferson and Harritt! In other words, Jefferson, the founding father of the United States, did have 6 children illegitimate with a black slave, and the two had a long-term and close relationship.
This result was undoubtedly a fatal blow to Jefferson's reputation. For more than 200 years, his tall and glorious image in the eyes of the world fell apart overnight. Many people were deeply disappointed and could not believe that this revolutionary who advocated "human rights" and "democracy and freedom" could be so corrupt and debauched, and had an illegitimate child with a large family of black slave maids.
Moreover, people were suspicious of Jefferson's impassioned rhetoric, believing that it was all hypocritical rhetoric that was far from what he really thought. The contrast between the magnanimous speech is beautiful, but the vigour of one's own actions is so shady that it is hard to laugh or cry.
Since then, Jefferson's image as the father of the nation in the United States has been completely shattered, and his aura has disappeared. Nicknames such as "Founding Father" and "Pioneer of Independence" that used to be talked about no longer apply to this scandal-ridden hypocrite.
What is even more disgusting to the American society is that Jefferson, as a slave owner, did such a beastly thing to his slaves. This highlights his racist complex, and what he claims to be a "natural human right" is, in the final analysis, just a piece of paper, and he himself is the culprit who really tramples on human rights.
Some people joked that Jefferson was really a dedicated "slave owner" who did not hesitate to set an example by having close contact with black slaves and experiencing what it was like to have "human rights." This ironic commentary, while biased, also reveals the repugnant contradictions and hypocrisy of Jefferson.
Jefferson's refusal to admit that he had a relationship with a slave was apparently motivated by complacency and pride. As a man of the moment, how could he tolerate such slander for his notoriety? So even if the evidence is ironclad, he will not admit it.
Unfortunately, this indifference has contributed to the deterioration of the situation. When the DNA evidence ruthlessly unraveled the mystery, Jefferson's pride and hypocrisy were nowhere to be hidden, and his empty rhetoric about human rights and freedom was completely ruined. Many believe that Jefferson's insistence on holding his ground in his later years was also motivated by a sense of self-preservation—if he admitted his mistakes, his carefully crafted glorious image would inevitably be burned.
Thus, despite the overwhelming evidence, Jefferson still refused to admit guilt. He would rather bear the stigma and slander than face up to his own mistakes, which made the whole thing worse, and finally caused an irreparable tragedy.
As a result, American society has fallen into a great moral dilemma. That is, should we honor the contributions of a great man, or should we expose and spurn his hypocrisy and hypocrisy? Between the primacy of authority and the distinction between right and wrong, people are faced with a difficult choice.
Fourth, in the aftermath of the scandal, Jefferson was infamous and reviled against
As soon as the DNA test results were announced, they immediately caused an uproar in American society. There has been an unprecedented polarization in the evaluation of Jefferson.
Some people insisted on respecting Jefferson, believing that his great contributions and remarkable deeds must not be overshadowed by the scandal. After all, as a central figure in the push for American independence, Jefferson made indelible contributions to the birth of the nation. The Declaration of Independence, which he wrote, became a classic of liberal thought.
Therefore, proponents argue that we should honor Jefferson rather than tear down all of his contributions and halo. Even if he did something wrong, it was only a stain on his private life, and it was not enough to completely negate his entire career and ideas. We should look at the great man with tolerance and compassion, not harshly accusing him or belittleing him.
In stark contrast, there was another segment of the population that was staunchly opposed to tolerance of Jefferson. In their view, Jefferson was a man of great talent, but his personal character was a heinous crime. A man who advocates human rights, freedom and equality should do so despicable and shameless acts against his own slaves, and his sin is unforgivable.
Some people even questioned that perhaps Jefferson's advocacy of "human rights" was just a hypocritical thing. How can a person who ignores even the basic human rights of his own slaves truly appreciate the true meaning of "human rights"? It can be seen that his bombastic speeches are all lies that distort the facts.
As a result, a wave of condemnation and cursing of Jefferson quickly spread across the United States. People marched everywhere to burn portraits and busts of Jefferson and expel him from the altar of American history. Even some dignitaries were no exception, openly calling for a re-examination of Jefferson's place in history and a complete rejection of the hypocrite.
The clamor and invective of public opinion have reached an unprecedented climax. People began to hate and curse this once idolized founding father. The scolding was incessant, and all kinds of slander and insults were pervasive.
For example, some people compared Jefferson to a boar in heat, claiming that he was incestuous with slaves and was inferior to a beast; Others denounced him as a hypocrite who did everything in his power to block freedom of speech, contrary to his creed; Some people even pointed out that he was a liar and opportunist, and did everything he could to hurt nature and reason.
The scolding rose higher and higher, and even Jefferson's cronies and supporters during his lifetime for many years joined the ranks of condemnation. Former friends and colleagues spurned him for a while, accusing him of despicable behavior, corrupt morality, and completely betraying the ideals and values he once pursued.
Others have criticized his descendants, pointing out that the descendants of Jefferson's illegitimate sons should not continue to be complacent, and that their ancestors have really smeared a big black spot on the American people. The anger of the people seems to want to uproot the entire family and drive it out of American society.
In the face of this surging tide of public opinion, Jefferson's reputation was completely shattered, and his image in the eyes of the American people was on the verge of complete collapse. The great man, who was once admired by tens of thousands of people, has become a target for everyone to shout and beat, and has become a punching bag for everyone to vent their grievances.
There are even those who denounce that filthy people like Jefferson should be stripped of all the honorary titles he has received and expelled him from the altar of the Father. Because how can a guy who is so corrupt and despicable deserve to be called the "father of the United States"? Isn't that blaspheming the sages and defiling the ancestors?
This tremendous pressure of public opinion made Jefferson infamous, his family ruined, and his descendants had nowhere to hide. They can only endure in silence in the scolding of society, allowing the world to turn a blind eye to the contributions of their ancestors...
Fifth, the rehabilitation and maintenance, Jefferson's image regained its glory
In the face of a frenzy of denunciation and abuse, the Jefferson family did not disappear. They fought back, justifying their ancestors and maintaining Jefferson's important place in American history through various means.
First, the family members gathered evidence that Jefferson was a true liberal and humanist despite his misrelationship with slaves. He has worked hard all his life for human rights and freedoms, and he has also worked hard for black people.
For example, Jefferson was a public advocate for the abolition of slavery and wrote to Congress several times arguing that black slaves should also enjoy civil rights and should be granted free status. These claims, while not adopted at the time, already reflected Jefferson's respect for and upholding the equal rights of blacks.
In addition, Jefferson has repeatedly stated that if anyone doubts whether there is an intimate act between him and Harriet that goes beyond the master-servant relationship, as long as they can produce conclusive evidence, he will unconditionally admit his fault and will not pass the buck and cover it up.
It can be seen that although Jefferson once denied this, it was not out of hypocrisy and pride, but because there was no definite evidence at the time. Once the DNA test results are available, it is entirely possible that he will have the courage to admit his mistakes, as he promised.
Members of the Jefferson family believed that it was precisely because Jefferson died so early that they were unable to acknowledge this fact in person. But even so, the liberal ideas and ideas he left behind were genuine, not hypocritical.
As a result, they widely publicized this idea in the hope of vindicating Jefferson and rehabilitating him in American history. At the same time, they also regarded the six children born between Jefferson and Harriet as relatives, and included them in the family with equal respect and love.
Through unremitting efforts, finally after a period of time, the clamor of public opinion gradually subsided. Attitudes toward Jefferson began to shift more positively toward his indelible contributions to the cause of American independence.
Even though he was guilty of moral mistakes, his ideological ideas and revolutionary spirit were brilliant. We should be tolerant of the mistakes of our ancestors, not harshly reprimanded them. After all, no one is perfect, and great people will inevitably make mistakes and mistakes in life. It is important to look at their contribution to the progress of human civilization.
Gradually, Jefferson's image in the minds of the American people was restored. Although he was once infamous and reviled, people eventually recognized that he was a founding father, a practitioner of liberal ideas, and a remarkable contribution to the independence and rise of the United States.
Although there is a stain on personal morality, this does not completely negate Jefferson's contributions and achievements to the progress of human civilization. The historical status of a generation of great men should be affirmed and respected, and should not be overshadowed by subtleties and private virtues.
After many twists and turns, Jefferson finally regained his high place in the hearts of the American people. He is regarded as a promoter of American independence and a pioneer of liberal thought, and works such as the Declaration of Independence have re-established themselves as liberal classics.
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Although the scandal cast a shadow over Jefferson's fame, the spirit of greatness still shines through. The liberal thinker's remarkable contributions to human civilization are remembered and honored with great respect for the giant of American history.