so she was not born in monticello. she was actually born on the eastern shore, and she arrived here in about 1773 or 1774. sally hemings is a person who is sort of shrouded in mystery because we know so little about her. there are actually only for -- references to her, four descriptions of her that exist in the last 200 years. jefferson himself never wrote about her explicitly, so she remains this very mysterious figure. but i think it is really important to emphasize that she was related to jefferson's wife, she was martha's half-sister, and she may have even been resembled jefferson's wife. in 1784, jefferson took up a post in paris as essentially a trade ambassador. he was trying to forge treaties with the french and other countries so that the new u.s. could survive in the wake of the american revolution. but he wanted to have his daughters with him. he wanted to have martha and his youngest daughter, but he also wanted someone, an enslaved woman or girl, to accompany maria on the long passage across the atlantic.

behind me, you see the restoration of monticello's south wing. this wing was built in 1802. -- after jefferson died and monticello was sold, it was rebuilt a couple of times by the levy family in the 19th century. in the 1940's, the jefferson foundation restored the south wing. not only did they restore the kitchen, the smokehouse and the cook's room, they also put bathrooms into what were slave quarters. as much as -- as much of this material as we have been removing and we are now at the point where we are restoring the spaces about we think is a more accurate interpretation. we know that because there is physical evidence as well as documentary evidence that tells us specifically what jefferson wanted. he even drew out a plan to scale. it shows exactly how big the rooms were and what the rooms were used for. we know what space was the derry and the slaves quarters and the smokehouse. we are able to find physical traces of where these walls would have been placed, so we can put them back accurately. on the chimney stack, we have remains of the

the children left monticello as free people. that's one of the things -- it's a subject now that i have a feeling monticello will be dealing with quite a bit. that's now that they have decided -- they have people there talking about this. the second part of the book, after he gets her talking about elizabeth hemmings and setting things up, the second section of the book is about -- the beginnings of this connection, relationship on -- what we will call it with jefferson. the third part of the book tries to do what i said i was originally going to do. if you have been to monticello, you know the story of john hemmings. john hemmings was the master carpenter at monticello. he is responsible for some of the furniture there that is on display, even now. he did the floors for jefferson. he was also a surrogate father to jefferson's son, beverly madison eston hemmings. they were put under the tutelage -- to become carpenters. i want to discover this, but i did make anything of it -- i wasn't really thinking about the story of a hemmin

it was a reason to remember monticello. even though we are talking to people in a different family, descendents, they knew this story. and talked about it. it was something that people knew, and it was something that jefferson's neighbors knew, because they talked about it in their letters. jefferson's grandson, thomas jefferson randolph says it was a source of bitter jealousy. he claimed that the other people down the mountain, other non-hemmings people were jealous of the hemmings. that is because they were sewed close to the jeffersons. that wishes to his interpretation. it could well have been that they thought the hemmings were co-opted. of course, jeff randolph was saying, there are jealous because these people get to hang around us. answerobably was not the . they probably did not want to hang around him. it could've been that they thought -- they might have been resentful, not jealous of them, but saying, who do think you are. you have been co-opted by these people. that is the only hint of any kind of -- that might

john hemmings was the master carpenter at monticello. he is responsible for some of the furniture there that is on display, even now. he did the floors. jefferson.roof for he was also a surrogate father to jefferson's son beverly , madison eston hemmings. they were put under the tutelage of john hemmings to learn how to become carpenters. , i will nothings i wasn'tvered, but really thinking about the story of the hemingses in the same way. jefferson had a retreat and the forest -- retreat in the forest. when he retired, it seems like the world descended on him and monticello and stayed for weeks at a time.. he left. i'm leaving it to you. he would go to popular forest and stay for long periods of time. there were a series of letters where he writes to his overseers saying -- i am coming to popular forest, i will be arriving on such and such date. i am bringing johnny hemmings and his two assistance, or johnny hemmings and his apprentices. his apprentices and assistance are either -- beverly learned harris, beverly madison and eston. thes

madison came, james and ali came the monticello -- james and dollie came to monticello quite a bit, and martha was always there. she did not have her mother from the time he was 12 years old, so dolley was someone she bonded with. gil: sometimes you can have a family feud. ivanka has shades of anna roosevelt and that she is going to have somewhat of an official role, but she also has shades of alice roosevelt, teddy roosevelt's daughter. alice was a character. she would say, if you don't have anything good to say, come sit next to me. tace would literally put a ck under the cushion of a dignitary and watch them sit and blow up. she jumped into a pool on a cruise and met her second husband. she was mean to many people. teddy roosevelt said, i have a choice -- either handle my daughter or run the country. when he was governor and he wanted her to go to some conservative boarding school, she basically said, i will shame you, and there is zero, you are not going to do this. he knew it was true. when the tax move into the white house -- when the tafts move into the white house, they discover

the first child born was from the slave woman from monticello. then jefferson's grandchildren did live for a time in the white house. ofthere is a famous picture george h w bush and laura bush in a bed with all of the grandchildren around in 1988 when he was trouble saying the word i. barbara bush once gave a group of reporters a to her of her living quarters. i was in the group and i went into the lincoln bedroom. there were toys everywhere. they basically, have the grandchildren around quite a bit. my grandmother story and the white house is about eleanor roosevelt. that she and her mother and law have a very tense relationship. by one ofp a book, the grandchildren. i figured out that eleanor was a very cold grandmother. , theyeat-grandmother and they lovedny her grade she was a total grandmother. whatever they wanted, she would over insults them. over-induldge. they would call eleanor gra n-mare'. i told the story and one of the grandchildren stood up and said oh yeah. that was one of the stories you wish you had heard before you wrote the boo

prior to assuming the leadership at highland, she worked as archaeological research manager at monticello down the road from 1999-2012, so she has been on that road for a long time. when i was in law school, i lived on brown mountain, so i know the area very well. she earned her ba magna cum laude from the university of arizona, then headed east and did her phd at the university of north carolina chapel hill, and she has also taught at chapel hill in the university of virginia, so we are delighted this afternoon to have sara bon-harper, executive director of highland. [applause] sara bon-harper: what a warm welcome. thank you. it is a pleasure to be here and a pleasure to be on this lineup and a group that knows so much about monroe. i am glad to be here and glad to be finding out there is always something new in history, and that is what we will talk about today. everybody hold your breath. james monroe's highland is the current name for the property. about a year ago, we reclaimed that historic name for the site. james monroe after dithering for some time decided he would name his prope

it was a joining thomas jefferson's monticello.etter agricultural land, bigger plots, and close to his friend and mentor, thomas jefferson. he went off to france as a minister to them and, in the mid-1790's, was there and was -- of given jefferson oversight the siting of my buildings as he says. the placement of the buildings and choices of where things will go. there are nice letters back and forth. he buys nails from jefferson starting in 1796. the piece that i talk about in the newspaper article that one of you no doubt has in your thatction, the other thing is about to show up, any day, and the u.s. postal service is the model that's monroe sent to jefferson from france. [laughter] i have some pictures with

if you go to montpelier and monticello, then you've is tomorrow's house, you think, wow, this is modest. i thought it was a most unbelievable how modest it was. well, to archaeological digs, through our deal on -- the theory is that we will and thought was munro's house with a little guest. he and his wife it burned. the record of that is hazy. but it makes sense, his whole theory that the house burned and they have, as i say, excavated large father -- part of the foundation. so that just tells you the past is not totally understood. there's always more to learn. each one of these homes, montpelier, monticello, mount vernon, they are wonderful for bringing children. >> absolutely. >> summon a friendly and oriented programs. my kids have suffered through me dragging them to all these places. while we were in the green room earlier, i was speaking with the vice president, i know he was a big civil war buff. you share is yes for visiting the revolutionary and civil war, various battlefields? is that something discussed in your book? >> no. [laughter] but, deck has made the list for our chi

she is the author of the hemmings of minas tello -- monticello. this was part of the great lives lecture series. [applause] >> is perhaps appropriate that on thomas jefferson's

. >> host: monticello florida on the line for democrats. >> caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. they talk about health insurance you can buy across the border. i haven't had a max event in my life were a ticket in 40 years, but until then, the same as the next guy. why am i paying so much for insurance because someone else had an accident or someone else did this or that. there's nothing that has changed. that's all i have to say. if you don't have someone like you in car insurance you haven't been in an accident it is buying insurance in case something happens or you get high medical bills or in a bad accident, so you are throwing your money away because you'll never need it or nothing bad has ever happened to you. and as far as -- as it replies to health insurance and car insurance, with health insurance, republican to talk about allowing it to be lost across state lines. remember it is allowed under obamacare and that also gets complicated if you allow the states to get the waiver where it looks different state to state. so i ensure as it tries t

thomas jefferson and his relationship with the slaves hemmings family who lived and worked as his monticellontation. here is a preview. >> one of the reasons it was dismissedsk miss -- the story of the hemmings family is because people didn't know anything about the family, other than that there was a scandal. the nuven and sally hemmings as they may have known james hemmings, her brother, the chef. by and large, people didn't know that much. if i could tell the story, that made people feel that they had a stake in the, then it might give people pause in the future about dismissing the story of enslaved people. i live in manhattan. partly in manhattan, partly it in cambridge. --hattan's big city, routed crowded, anonymous. when you meet somebody in the neighborhood, i immediately see them after that. and you are introduced to someone you see them all the time, you have walked past them before but you didn't know them. once you know them, you notice their children, you notice when you don't see the more you expect to see them. they become a part of you, and away. you have a stake in them. wit

may was good friends with jefferson, he spent a few days, maybe weeks at monticello had a long correspondence with jefferson later repudiated. political alliances or sympathies would have been with the federalist, but they never got involved in federal politics. that changed by 1796. as the falling out began between --ends and the united states france and the united states, they became more -- there was no , but i gun or anything think someone was passing information. not sensitive to pollute -- it was political information. the then french and messenger -- ambassador who was expelled long ago -- they were understood to be in alliance with france at that point. there were fears that people were traveling in the west, was a clear what he was doing. there were other people, french officers who were traveling along the ohio valley looking at ts,rican fork's -- for military encampments. they were clearly trying to recapture this area. eventually, the ones who were still here in 1798, when the alien's were passed -- were actually targeted for expulsion. becauset the country they were kicked out or

reed talks about thomas jefferson and the enslaved hemmings family, who lived and worked on his monticello, virginia, plantation. she discusses sally hemming who she argues had six children by jefferson. the university of mary washington in fredericksburg, virginia, hosted this event, as

. >> restoration at thomas jefferson's monticello is uncovering the story of sally hemings and other slaves who lived, worked, and died at the third president's plantation. next on american history tv's "american artifacts," a behind-the-scenes look at the restoration work. and we hear some of the stories

calling from monticello, georgia on our independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call.n another view. i hear democratic caller's and some independent caller's -- democratic callers and some i couldent callers -- not choose between the lesser of two evils. what's weighed my boat was the supreme court nomination -- what vote was the supreme court nomination. we have talk radio and c-span -- the others have lost all could ability. -- all credibility. the support of mainstream media to the democratic party, they are scrambling. instead of opening up and admitting failure, they are doubling down. this is a tactic to stall the president. this nextrent rate, midterm election, there will be a democratic party. won't be at -- there democratic party. we need journalistic integrity to be represented here. it's really sad, enough to make a man cry to see what's happening to this country simply a-10 years of relaxation on law and order -- 8-10 years of relaxation online order. -- 8-10 years of relaxation on law and order. arms rights up in now. you can't get real information. host:

if you then to monticello, you know it is one of the three accomplishments that jefferson put on thehap over his grave. was the author of the statute. he declared that either -- neither religious nor political leaders had any dominion over the faith of others. punishing people for their religious beliefs or declaring them unworthy of public office was depriving them of advantages to which they had a natural right. our civil rights, jefferson wrote, have no dutch attendant on our religious opinions, anymore than our opinions in physics or geometry. again, madison and jefferson were on the front tier of thought here. it has long been believed that there should be an established church. in the case of virginia -- and religious conformity had to be imposed. but madison and jefferson saw it differently. whentatute failed to pass they first tried to get it through the virginia assembly. then jefferson went off to paris for five years. well he was gone, madison, who was the sharpest politician among the founders, saw an opportunity and got it passed. he wrote a letter to jefferson in which

thomas jefferson and his relationship with the enslaved hemmings family who lived and worked at his monticello virginia plantation. here's a preview. one of the reasons it was easy to dismiss the story of the hemmings family was because people did not know anything about the hemmings family. other than that there was a scandal and they knew the name sally hemmings. and men knew her brother james hemmings. by and large people did not know much about the family. thinking that if i could tell the story in a way that made people feel that they had a stake in them, that it might give people pause in the future about dismissing the story of enslaved people. , and partlynhattan in cambridge. city, sorty, crowded of an anonymous city. when you meet somebody in the neighborhood, i immediately began to see them after that. you see them all the time. you have been walking past them before but you did not know them. once you begin to know them you notice their children come you notice where you expect to see them. they become a part of you win away. that is what i wanted to do with the hemmings family was

one that is even such now if you go see monticello, one of the first things you encounter is the large set of antlers. i caution you, don't think that this means he had a bad case of decorator. that's what it is is a propaganda saying look, anything you have in europe, so this shows north american animals are not degenerate. when he sent lewis and clark to oregon, he said send me a woolly mammoth. why would you think there would be, it is amazing, isn't it? they do things differently there. so, jefferson was living in the times when there hadn't been europeans going to the west and seeing what was there. he thought that mastodons still roamed the earth and if one of them could be maintained and this moved forth, they are better than european. he had to be content with a moose from maine which must have impressed people. but in any event, jefferson lost several of his consideration in the state of virginia, and as president in the office he argues for this, but of course once he becomes president, jefferson is involved in another cost and that is the race to see whether the united state

and as for ritual, with next saturday i was talking to our friends in monticello about integration holidaysy said we do a naturalization set ceremony every year on july 1. but when you are saying to mark, it's an interesting question that people take pride in where they're from, you think it could be a tradition howard? >> keeping it around. >> i'm an advocate of statehood, i think it's key to think about all these other things. i don't know what you care about in respect to the citizens and house members, the electorate and what the supposed benefit on the state of religion is about especially when it's involved, then it becomes making more sense. how can we get through to the antiestablishment deep into thinking about it and winning hearts and minds and a change for the better? >> hi, i wanted to ask about specifically empowering gaps. i know you talked a lot about the role that people in finding their potential and mobilizing can have but i was curious to get your thoughts on how is that considered disenfranchisement, the specification of gender, race, etc. can actually whether or not it

interconnected state of human invention circulating and as provincial, as some of our friends in monticello aren't winning on immigration, and as david and you, we do a naturalization ceremony every year on july 4, you are seeing mark, where are you from? it misses the question of where they're from, do you think july 4 could be an immigration holiday? thank you. >> we are kicking around. >> i think it's key to thinking about all the visits, we had no convention on what you are doing with respect to other people as citizens ... [inaudible] then you can solve the other part and open up the door, how do you get this as a country and ourselves so that we can mend when more hearts and minds and have a change for the better. >> hi, a question about civic empowerment, i think you talked a lot about the roles that countries finding that are potential and what they have and they change but i was just curious of something to getting your thoughts on how the groups that are franchised, where there's a simple stratification of gender, race, etc. can actually whether or not it's necessary that they be

thomas jefferson and his relationship with the enslaved hemmings family who lived and worked in his monticello plantation. here's a preview. >> one of the reasons it was easy to dismiss the story of the hemmings family was cut people did know anything about the hemmings family other than that there was a scandal and they knew the name sally hemmings and manage new the name james hemmings. also did notpeople know much about the family. that if i could tell the story in a way that made people feel as if they had a stake in them, it might give people cause. i live in manhattan. partly in manhattan partly in cambridge. it is a big city, crowded city. sort of an anonymous city. somebody in the neighborhood, i immediately begin to see them after that. you used to see them all the time, but you did not know them. once you begin to know them, you noticed children come you notice where you expect to see them. you have a stake in them. that is what i wanted to do with the hemmings family was give people a stake in this family. watch annette gordon reed on thomas jefferson and the hemmings family on the