Photoessay #871 - Founding Fathers

I just finished this book "The Hemmingses of Monticello" about Thomas Jefferson and his relationship to the Hemmings extended family who were enslaved to him, lived at MOnticello, whose members were genetically related both to his wife (who died in her mid 30s) and himself.

Some correspondence with my friend J

The agenda of this author was how Jefferson, a man of integrity and talent, could be so trapped in his relationship with the Hemmings family. Who, he and his wife were related to genetically. Somehow he managed to operate in this ambiguous situation with so many members of this family where they were family to him yet he made it clear that they were still enslaved to him. His material wealth was important to him but illusory as he was always deeply in debt, after his death the whole estate, Monticello, the Hemmings family collapsed.

The real question for this author centered around his long relationship with Sally Hemmings which started when he was in his 40s and she was 16. They had seven children, 4 who grew into adulthood. She always stayed in seclusion in Monticello. The Hemmings children were 1/8 black. But they were still enslaved to him as was Sally. His promise to Sally would be that he would 'free' them as they reached adulthood was kept. But he could never free her; not could he marry her. He also could not mention her in his will.

He managed to keep Monticello and all those things going until his death.

J had a completely different view of Thomas Jefferson seeing him as a holy man incarnated as a Founding Father to do great work though veiled from his actual levels of wisdom. Understand him spiritually would be most appropriate. Her church, followers of Paramahansa Yogananda treat the Founding Fathers with great reverence.

When I went to Washington DC, twelve years ago with 11 year old Ilana, I was shocked how George Washington was portrayed and treated as a deity in the visual and written portrayals. Not as a great statesman but higher than man itself, holy. Check out the Washington picture with the light around his head. All of the medieval pictures almost all depicting the lives of Jesus and the saints. The saints were portrayed the light around their heads to mark them.

Curious, many Christian and conservative groups like to advance their agendas as being created, fostered or written by the Founding Fathers. But they missed this deification.....