History by a Hair

About this book

The definitive account of how a discarded strand of hair found in Thomas Jefferson's Bible led to a sweeping, multi-year genomic investigation, drawing on technological advances in DNA to finally resolve a 200-year national controversy. Features an introduction by Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III "Written with the gravitas of history and the pace of a thriller, Richard Kurin's landmark account is vital and compelling."--Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power In 2011, staff at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History discovered what appeared to be a hair--light red, possibly human--pressed between the pages of the Thomas Jefferson Bible. That hair sparked an unprecedented scientific quest: determining if modern genomics could recover Jefferson's DNA and finally resolve the most divisive and enduring question surrounding his life--the paternity of the children of Sally Hemings, one of hundreds of African Americans enslaved by Thomas Jefferson. For over two centuries, the Jefferson-Hemings controversy has shaped American debates about race, power, slavery, and the mythology of the Founding Fathers. Historians have argued fiercely. Descendants have lived with uncertainty. DNA technology in the 1990s brought us closer, but not all the way; the evidence remained incomplete. Until now. In this riveting narrative--part scientific detective story, part historical epic--Richard Kurin, distinguished scholar and museum official, leads readers through the fifteen-year-long genomic investigation conducted with leading DNA scientists, archaeologists, genealogists, forensic experts, and Jefferson and Hemings' descendants across the country. The result is the first conclusive, scientifically validated answer to a question that has reverberated since the eighteenth century--an answer that settles the historical record, deepens our understanding of Jefferson, honors generations of family oral history, and asks America to confront the full complexity of its origins.