Winter and Widener tell the story of James Madison Hemings's childhood at Monticello, and, in doing so, illuminate the many contradictions in Jefferson's life and legacy. Though Jefferson lived in a mansion, Hemings and his siblings lived in a single room. While Jefferson doted on his white grandchildren, he never showed affection to his enslaved children. Though he kept the Hemings boys from hard field labor instead sending them to work in the carpentry shop Jefferson nevertheless listed the children in his Farm Book along with the sheep, hogs, and other property. Here is a profound and moving account of one family's history, which is also America's history
Themes
Genres: Non-Fiction
Categories: Biography, Oppression & Resilience
Content: Diverse Family, Skin Tone and Color
Settings: Northern America, United States of America, Virginia
Ethnicity: Unspecified
Gender: Boy/Man, Girl/Woman
Race/Culture: Bi/Multiracial/Mixed Race, Black/African/African American, White/European American/Caucasian
Character Prominence: Background, Dominant Main