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Sally Hemings: A Slave On The Monticello Plantation

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Sally Hemings was a slave on the Monticello plantation in the late 18th century, and her experience helps us to understand that her gender aided the way she was treated versus if they went by the color of her skin (Dilkes Mullins). {Woman during this era were thought of as property, they were objectified, they were treated poorly and had no choice. Their husbands were liable for anything that they did} [Being a female during this era outweighed what one 's social status was. It did not matter what race you were, but if you were a woman, you were treated as such] (Dilkes Mullins). Ms. Hemings was a beautiful sixteen-year-old enslaved girl (Gordon-Reed, 102) who was more than just a slave on the Monticello plantation. She was introduced to Thomas Jefferson when her biological father and master, John Wayles, made an executive decision to give her family away as a wedding gift to Thomas Jefferson and Martha Wayles (Gordon-Reed, 98). In classrooms today, discussions never lead towards the knowledge of slaves being …show more content…

Living a life immensely comparable to the wife of an elite, history gurus could indicate that she was not the “typical slave” you learn about in history classes (Dilkes Mullins). She was a well educated slave who was fluent in both English and French (Dilkes Mullins), along with being protected from many of the gruesome circumstances slaves dealt with on a daily basis. Not once did she have to go through the heartache of watching her children be sold to different masters as if they were livestock, she was sheltered from the hard labor that many others had to go through, and when Jefferson passed away, these extraordinary privileges would continue (Dilkes

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