Sally Hemings

Sally Hemings was an enslaved woman of mixed African and European ancestry who lived in Virginia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She is historically significant because she is believed to have had a long-term relationship with Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. president, and to have borne several of his children. The details of their relationship have been studied extensively, highlighting issues of slavery, race, and power dynamics in early American history. Hemings's story raises important questions about the complexity of individual relationships within the context of slavery.