>              Thank you for this page on the history and life of Thomas
>Jefferson.  It has come to my attention and question of the morality and
>character of Thomas Jefferson.  I personally have not read much history except
>what is associated with the "Declaration of Independance"
>    I have always thought of Jefferson to be a person of high morals and
>character, but that has been questioned by some now.  I have heard some to say
>boldly that Jefferson had a 'colored mistress' and now that some bodies are
>being exumed to determine if they were his children by this mistress.
>          Could you please verify with documentational resources if this is
>true or a mere mocking of a man's great character.
>    Thank you awaiting your reply.  

Thank you for visiting the website.  I will try to answer your questions,
though the answers may not be all you might wish to have.

It is often impossible to prove that accusations are NOT so.  That is one
reason why our law requires that a person be considered innocent until
proved guilty.  As Jefferson himself wrote,

"The proof of a negative can only be presumptive." --Thomas
Jefferson to John Adams, 1819.  ME 15:206

Because of the circumstances in a particular case, it may be possible to
prove that an accused person could not have performed the act of which he
is accused.  But just because he cannot prove he did not do the act, given
the circumstances, does not mean that he is therefore guilty.  The absence
of a possible proof of a negative can never be considered positive proog of
guilt.  An absurd example: I can prove I did not shoot Alexander Hamilton
because I was not alive at the time.  But that can never mean that anyone
who was alive at the time was guilty of shooting Hamilton.

Jefferson's morality and character have been questioned and vilified
from the very beginning.  This is not a recent phenomenon.  Rather than
having to prove his accusers' charges false, however, it is -- and should
be -- incumbent upon THEM to prove their accusations.  Anyone, after
all, can make accusations.  When examined carefully, all the
accusations to date have been based on the flimsiest of speculations:
Hearsay, innuendo, suppositions, questions, speculations, but never any
real, substantial evidence.  A fair and reasonable person would dismiss
such garbage until someone came up with something worthy of
credence.  All of this is tabloid journalism.  It is useful for selling books,
and the more daring and outrageous the accusations, the greater the
character of the man being assailed, the more notoriety gained and the
more books sold.

As for Mr. Jefferson's character and integrity, I have recently completed
reading the 20 volume set of his writings, and I can say that his positions
on every facet of politics and government were absolutely pure.  There
is no fudging, no duplicity, and not the slightest hint of self-serving
evasion.  Here is a man who served his country brilliantly, and without a
single regard to his own interests.  Comparing him to his accusers is like
comparing a work of art to a garbage can.

I could go into more detail on these accusations to show their absurdity:
besides miscegenation, they accuse Jefferson of carnal knowledge and
of having TWO love affairs at the same time (Sally Hemings and Maria
Cosway).  I might add that Sally Hemings' children were said to be
possibly fathered by some other member of the Jefferson household, so
that examining their DNA could never be conclusive, assuming Jefferson
shared similar genes with other members of his family.  But I believe it is
pointless to waste time on this kind of swill sampling.  Even if the
accusations were true, Thomas Jefferson would still be one of the great
minds of this millenium, and the chief intellectual founder of American
self-government.  That is what is important.