New Book clears Jefferson in DNA/SEX Scandal with Slave

The belief that Thomas Jefferson had an affair and fathered a child with slave Sally Hemings — and that such an allegation was proven by DNA testing — has become so pervasive in American popular culture that it is not only widely accepted but taught to students as historical fact. In this startling new book, William G. Hyland Jr. shows not only that the evidence against Jefferson is lacking, but that in fact he is entirely innocent of the charge of having sexual relations with Hemings.

A "thorough survey of the scholarly and scientific literature …Mr. Hyland, a lawyer, presents the historical record carefully and, closer to our day, provides marvelous details of the scholarly empire-building and grantsmanship that go into making 'fact' out of limited evidence — in this case and others. By the end of 'In Defense of Thomas Jefferson,' it is hard not to conclude that, given the revisionist impulses of American historians today, Jefferson should have put pen to paper after all," says Thomas Lipscomb, The Wall Street Journal.