Sally Hemings: An American Scandal

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• 2000
• 4 hr 11 mins
• Documentary, Drama

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The story of the extraordinary, controversial 38-year relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave mistress, Sally Hemings. The teenage Sally begins her unexpected relationship with widower Thomas Jefferson in Paris, where he is serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. After escorting Jefferson's younger daughter on a trans-Atlantic journey to join him in Paris, Sally is soon exposed to a world quite unlike the one in which she has lived at Monticello as an illiterate slave. While Sally serves as a nanny of sorts, Jefferson provides her with an education, fine clothes, and opportunities to experience cultural events. She and her brother James, who works as Jefferson's chef and was also educated by him, delight in the fact that they are free in France--and are treated with respect. Under these circumstances, Sally and Jefferson become acquainted and begin an affair that ultimately leads to scandal.