First, I'd like to thank all of you who have responded, and continue to
respond, to my inquiry about involving descendants of plantation residents
in the public interpretation of plantation life ---
 
I wasn't going to send anything else to the net on this issue until I
finished compiling the results of my query, but have decided to respond to
a recent posting by Carol Ely in response to a posting from Ellen Schwartz
.....
 
>From Ellen Schwartz:
>> This may not go anywhere, but last year there was an event at Monticello
>> that brought T. Jefferson's descendents, white and black, together.  This may
>> have only been a one time thing, but considering the discussion that
>>continues
>> about Jefferson and his slave mistress, they may be pursuing a more long term
>> interpretation, including continued dialogue with the parties involved.
>> Ellen Schwartz
>> [log in to unmask]
 
>From Carol Ely:
>Wait a minute, here. You so casually refer to "Jefferson's
>descendents, white and black" and "Jefferson's slave mistress"
>as if this were established fact, which it definitely is not.
>The event at Monticello brought together descendents of the
>plantation, white and black, not necessarily Jefferson's
>personal descendents. Monticello does not take a position for
>or against the claims of Jefferson's relationship with Sally
>Hemings, which is still very much an open question among
>Jefferson scholars. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation,
>owners of Monticello, are actively moving towards a more
>inclusive presentation of plantation life, especially including
>the experiences of African-Americans as slaves.
>
>Carol Ely
>Virginia Discovery Museum
>Charlottesville
>(no affilation with Monticello, just an interested bystander)
 
I think that the above postings are evidence of why  it is so important to
maintain a currency between the "public" interpretation of history and
"scholarly" historical and archaeological research -- and they also could
be read as evidence of the need for  more involvement, on the part of
academics, in mass media/public relations issues.  I have no idea whether
or not Ellen attended the event discussed, or whether she heard about it
via mass media or some other source.  I received several other private
messages with similar information as that contained in Ellen's post.
Carol Ely seems to be criticizing (this is not a flame, Carol!)  Ellen's
well-intentioned message --- which I regret, because I was happy to receive
Ellen's info in the positive spirit in which I believe it was intended.  I
was also happy to receive Carol's clarification of what actually happened
at Monticello vis a vis the event in question.  But I don't think that
Ellen was being "casual", but, rather, that she was communicating what she
believed to have been a true representation of the event.  Even if she
heard about the event from museum/professional sources, it still shows how
a public event or interpretation can be filtered/changed/ etc.  depending
on who's doing the telling and interpreting. Along the lines of the "seven
blind men and an elephant" story and "the Rashomon effect".
 
Until I started researching this field two years ago, I had no idea that
Monticello did not take a position "for or against the claims of
Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings", and I also did not know that
it was "still very much an open question among Jefferson scholars".   I
thought  that the Jefferson/Hemings relationship was a matter of so-called
historical "fact".  What I  "knew" was what the general public "knows" ---
not what the scholarly community *thinks* that the public *knows*.  Or
should know. My misconceptions were corrected when I visited Monticello and
asked lots of questions --- not before.  And, I might add, the whole issue
of  Jefferson and his slaves is something that has only been addressed by
Monticello in more recent years, as a result of the hard work of  many
people -- archaeologists, interpreters, historians, "interested
bystanders", and others.  From what I understand, a lot of folks resisted
dealing with it directly for a very long time.  Kudos to those who are
pushing in the right direction now.
 
It's great that Monticello is "actively moving towards a more inclusive
presentation of plantation life", and I hope that someday the foundation is
 willing to take a position on the Hemings question.  But, thanks to both
Carol and Ellen, and keep the info coming!
 
Carol McDavid
[log in to unmask]