I apologize once again for the vague header that results from my taking Museum-L in digest form. Just a quick note about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings. Lacking any new evidence, it is unlikely that we will ever know for certain what TJ's relationship with Hemmings was. The documents simply do not exist to establish a sexual relationship between them. It would be foolish in the extreme, therefore, for Monticello to "take a position" on the subject. In anycase, the more important issues about Jefferson and the entire set of questions surrounding race and slavery do not depend on the character of his relationship with Sally Hemmings. There is a HUGE body of very good scholarship on this subject that the folks at Monticello are undoubtedly being urged to consult. From my point of view, at least, it is these larger questions that deserve attention. The Sally Hemmings question can easily distract us from what really matters about Jefferson, the slave owning racist apostle of liberty. Douglas Greenberg President and Director The Chicago Historical Society Clark Street at North Avenue Chicago Il. 60614-6099 Telephone 312 642 5035 FAX 312 266 2077 OR 312 642 1199 Bitnet U27777@UICVM Internet [log in to unmask]