Jefferson's Daughters by Catherine Kerrison

“I hope my book will show, both in the past and today, how the powerful have cultivated and manipulated our fears of one another to retain their power, by pitting constituencies against one another rather than uniting us in a pursuit of the common good. “The American Revolution was a pivotal and defining experience in our history, and so it is important to examine its impact on issues of race and gender,” said Dr. But, Jefferson’s Daughters conveys a more important message and story than just a search for Harriet Hemings. Kerrison's search for Harriet Hemings illuminates the conditions of life in early America for slaves and free blacks as well as the pain experienced by those passing as white. Thereafter, passing as a freeborn white person, Harriet disappeared from the historical record.

Jefferson had given her $50 for her travel expenses. But, at age 21, Harriet boarded a stagecoach bound for Washington, D.C. Harriet Hemings’ story is both fascinating anda mysterious. She would later marry her cousin and lived happily with him until four successive pregnancies cut her life short at the age of 25. Maria had remained in Virginia with relatives until her father called her to join him in Paris. Martha, who had 11 surviving children, wrote letters that show a devotion to shaping Jefferson's legacy. Harriet was Jefferson’s daughter from a longstanding relationship he maintained with his slave Sally Hemings. Martha and Maria were the daughters of Jefferson's marriage, and grew up in both Virginia and Paris, where their father was posted as America’s ambassador to France. Kerrison’s book tells the stories of Martha and Maria Jefferson and Harriet Hemings.

In this book, I wanted to share their stories and experiences from 200 years ago to encourage conversations about what we’re still experiencing today.”ĭr. “These three women lived fascinating lives. “It’s important to look at this period to better understand why things are the way they are today for different groups of people,” said Dr. Villanova University history professor Catherine Kerrison, PhD, revisits the late 18th and early 19th centuries in her upcoming book, Jefferson’s Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America, which unfolds the stories of Thomas Jefferson’s daughters and the vastly different experiences they faced in life. VILLANOVA, Pa. – Issues of race and gender have plagued generations of Americans and remain prevalent in our society today.

Jefferson's Daughters by Catherine Kerrison