Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children

 

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

 Rating: PG - I feel like this book would be really good for about 7th grade and up. There's nothing overly graphic in it, a man is publicly whipped twice but that's about the extent of the violence. 

Summary:
Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston are Thomas Jefferson's children by one of the people he enslaved, Sally Hemings, and while they do get special treatment - better work, better shoes, even violin lessons - they are still slaves, and are never to mention who their father is. The lighter-skinned children have been promised a chance to escape into white society, but what does this mean for the children who look more like their mother? As each child grows up, their questions about slavery and freedom become tougher, calling into question the real meaning of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Told in three parts from the points of view of three of the children enslaved by Jefferson - Beverly, Madison, and a third boy close to the Hemings family - these engaging and poignant voices shed light on what life was like as one of Jefferson's invisible offspring.

My Thoughts: I LOVED this book. I felt like it did an incredible job addressing the disconnect between Thomas Jefferson, the great patriot and American president who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jefferson, a man who enslaved his fellow human beings. I love how the story was told through the eyes of children, who are trying to understand what slavery means, what freedom means, and why people think it's ok to enslave their fellow human beings. For instance, at one point, the children have a conversation with their mother about whether or not Thomas Jefferson is a good person. They are conflicted, because they can see how he is kind, how much he has done for the country, but they are also living in slavery and they know that is not right. The mother says to them "all of the good things about him - patriot, president, gentleman, educated and intelligent man - those are all true too. he's done many great things. I hope you can be proud of that part of him." But she also tells them that although she has had a very good life, she has never been mistreated and her children are safe "it's not freedom. Sometimes it looks pretty close to freedom. Sometimes it feels okay. Then something happens...and I'm reminded all over again that we live in a prison on this mountain. It's a prison no matter how comfortable it may feel." I thought this was so profound because there is this idea sometimes that "At least some slave owners were nice to the people they enslaved. Some of them were kind." As one of the characters declares in the book, "There isn't such a thing as a nice slave owner. Slavery is bad. It's evil. All slave owners are bad. If a person would own another person, you can't trust a word they'll say."

In another place in the book, two of the boys are looking at the framed Declaration of Independence on the wall in the hallway of the main house, and they read the first lines "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The younger boy is confused. He asks, "If Master Jefferson wrote that, how come he doesn't believe it?" The older boy replies, "He does believe it. At least, he thinks he does." They go on to discuss that the Declaration says "All men" not "all white men" and that self-evident means everyone knows it because it's so obvious. The younger boy says "But people don't know it." The older boy says, "I didn't read it to tell you that. I read it so you'd understand what those two old men (Jefferson and Lafayette) were crying about. They believed this a long time ago, when almost nobody else did, and Master Jefferson wrote it down, and they made a whole new country around it. And now they're so old they're almost dead and they're crying for what they did a long time ago." The younger boy says "But they didn't really do it" and the older replies, "I know. But they think they did." 

There were so many good moments in the book where I had to set it down to ponder for a bit. I thought the author did an excellent job writing this story and helping the reader (via the characters) come to their own conclusion about how to reconcile the amazing things the Founding Fathers did with the fact that many of them were also slave owners. I highly recommend this book.

2020 Democratic Platform Part 10: Renewing American Leadership

 

Part 10: Renewing American Leadership

1.       Revitalizing American Diplomacy

a.       Rebuilding America’s Tool of First Resort

                                                              i.      diplomacy

                                                             ii.      make the State Department more strategic, modern, agile, and effective

b.      Reinventing Alliances

                                                              i.      advance mutual priorities and deal with new challenges

                                                             ii.      work with allied democracies to end democracy’s global recession

                                                           iii.      make developing shared responses to non-military threats like disinformation, corruption, and economic coercion, priorities in our agenda

                                                           iv.      never treat alliances like protection rackets

                                                             v.      work to strengthen and build new partnerships in Africa and Latin America

c.       International Institutions

                                                              i.      rejoin and reform the WHO, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the United Nations Population Fund

d.      Foreign Assistance and Development

                                                               i.      reject Trump Administration’s punitive and transactional approach to foreign aid and its use to advance domestic political arrands at the expense of our national interests.

                                                             ii.      multiply impact of foreign assistance

                                                           iii.      lead international efforts to help developing countries with COVID

2.       Transforming Our Armed Forces for the 21^st Century

a.       Ending Forever Wars

                                                               i.      Trump said he would get US out of Afghanistan but he just sent more people there and stoked regional tensions that made things worse

                                                             ii.      responsibly set priorities, lead with diplomacy, protect ourselves from terrorist threats, enable local partners, bring troops home

                                                           iii.      committed to a durable and inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan that ensures that al-Qaeda isn’t allowed to reconstitute, ISIS isn’t allowed to grow, and the international community can help Afghans safeguard hard-fought gains

                                                           iv.      end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, help bring the war to an end

                                                             v.      use force only when necessary, with the informed consent of the American people and the approval of Congress

1.       work with Congress to repeal authorizations for the use of military force and replace them with a narrow and specific framework

b.       Securing our Competitive Edge

                                                               i.      US military should be best-trained, best-equipped, and most effective fighting force in the world

1.       So…now I’m confused as to why Republicans keep saying that Democrats want to weaken the military…..

                                                             ii.      invest in technology and forces that meet the threats of the future

                                                           iii.      reinforce alliances and partnerships that enhance our collective security

c.       Defense Spending

                                                               i.      it’s not how much we spend, but how we spend it

                                                             ii.      we spend too much on military and not enough on diplomacy

1.       we can maintain a strong defense and protect our safety and security for less

2.       Ok, I think this is really cool. Let’s try to make nice and figure things out with words instead of fists.

                                                           iii.      conduct rigorous annual audits of the Pentagon

1.       This is something that the Republican platform also pledged to do

d.       Keeping Faith with Our Veterans and Military Families

                                                               i.      protect opportunities for anyone who can meet the standards to serve in combat roles

                                                             ii.      fight the scourge of rape and sexual assault in the military

1.       https://www.protectourdefenders.com/factsheet/

2.       https://abcnews.go.com/US/military-sexual-assault-victims-system-broken/story?id=72499053

                                                           iii.      reverse Trump’s transgender ban

1.       Yes. Anyone who wants to serve our country should be able to. There’s no good reason why trans people should be banned.

                                                           iv.      root out systemic racism from military justice system

1.       black service members are twice as likely as white ones to face court-martial

                                                             v.      service members, veterans, and their spouses should never face deportation

1.       create a parole process for veterans deported by the Trump Administration to reunite them with their families

                                                           vi.      Veterans deserve better health care

1.       Yep. And wasn’t that something that Republicans said they were gonna fix?

                                                          vii.      work to combat veteran homelessness

                                                        viii.      make sure veterans have access to mental health services

                                                            ix.      support military families better

1.       ensure pay and compensation keep pace with the economy

2.       increase time between deployments

e.       Civil-Military Relations

                                                               i.      end the Trump Administration’s politicization of the armed forces

                                                             ii.      safeguard the independence of the military justice system

                                                           iii.      hold regular press briefings to explain the legal and policy justifications for military operations

                                                           iv.      never use active duty soldiers as political props

                                                             v.      never send military forces to suppress Americans exercising their constitutional rights

3.       Mobilizing the World to Address Transnational Challenges

a.       Global Health and Pandemics

                                                               i.      expand Global Health Security Agenda

                                                             ii.      restore the White House National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense

                                                           iii.      establish a Global Health Emergency Board to harmonize crisis response for vulnerable communities

                                                           iv.      fully resource the WHO

                                                             v.      help the world eradicate tuberculosis, malaria, polio, and other preventable maternal and childhood deaths

b.       Climate Change

                                                               i.      fully integrate climate change into foreign policy and national security strategies

                                                             ii.      restore US global climate leadership

                                                           iii.      recommit to the Green Climate Fund

                                                           iv.      protect our oceans

                                                             v.      support protection of species and wildlife habitats

c.       Technology

                                                               i.      recommit to net neutrality

                                                             ii.      algorithms and platforms should empower people instead of the surveillance state

                                                           iii.      expect tech companies and social media platforms to do more to preserve the openness of democratic societies and identify foreign disinformation

                                                           iv.      prevent the use of new technologies to facilitate repression, spread hate, or incite violence

                                                             v.      develop secure 5G networks

                                                           vi.      remain committed to the international prohibition on the development or use of biological weapons.

d.       Nonproliferation

                                                               i.      prevent the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, eventually secure their elimination

                                                             ii.      Trump has made it so the nuclear dangers Americans face are greater than they have been in decades

                                                           iii.      the sole purpose of our nuclear arsenal should be to deter a nuclear attack

1.       We should reduce our overreliance and excessive expenditure on nuclear weapons

                                                           iv.      push for ratification of the UN Arms Trade Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

e.       Terrorism

                                                               i.      sustain global effort to defeat ISIS, al-Qaeda, and their affiliates

                                                             ii.      committed to dealing with the underlying conditions that allowed violent extremism to flourish in the first place

                                                           iii.      always work to avoid civilian casualties

                                                           iv.      not weaponize counterterrorism for anti-immigrant purposes

                                                             v.      close detention center at Guantanamo Bay

f.        Democracy and Human Rights

                                                               i.      make gender equality a key foreign policy priority

                                                             ii.      implement the Women, Peace, and Security Act

                                                           iii.      incorporate more women into peace processes

                                                           iv.      ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

                                                             v.      pass the GLOBE Act and appoint senior leaders directly responsible for driving and coordinating LGBTQ+ issues at the Sate Department, USAID, and the National Security Council

                                                           vi.      amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ persons around the world and counter violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons wherever it appears

                                                          vii.      defend freedom of the press

                                                        viii.      fight human trafficking

1.       increase visas for victims of human trafficking

                                                            ix.      improve labor standards around the world

                                                             x.      never use protection of freedom of religion as a cover for discrimination

1.       yes. We do this. And we need to stop it.

                                                            xi.      we have an obligation to help alleviate suffering around the world, will contribute more aid, and better aid

                                                          xii.      END TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO CLOSE DOORS TO REFUGEES!!!!

1.       significantly raise the annual global refugee admissions target

2.       “Admitting refugees is not only the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do”

3.       This is extremely important to me and one of my biggest reasons for voting Democrat this election. I am thrilled to see this in the platform.

                                                        xiii.      torture is immoral and ineffective

4.       Advancing American Interests

a.       Global Economy and Trade

                                                               i.      no new trade deals before first investing in American competitiveness at home

                                                             ii.      insist on strong and enforceable standards for labor, human rights, and the environment

                                                           iii.      stand up to China with trade

                                                           iv.      anti-corruption will be a priority in foreign policy

                                                             v.      ban anonymous shell companies

                                                           vi.      guard against improper application of economic and financial sanctions

b.       Africa

                                                               i.      recommit to National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking

                                                             ii.      ban importation to the US of hunting trophies

                                                           iii.      There’s lots more but this is not a huge issue for me so I’m leaving it there

c.       Americas

                                                               i.      work with regional and international partners to address the root causes of migration – violence and insecurity, weak rule of law, lack of educational and economic opportunity, pervasive corruption and environmental degradation

                                                             ii.      protect the Amazon from deforestation

                                                           iii.      help Venezuela, grant Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans in the US

1.       use smart pressure and effective diplomacy, not threats

d.       Asia-Pacific

                                                               i.      protect American workers from unfair trade practices by the Chines govt

                                                             ii.      resist Chines military’s intimidation in the South China Sea

                                                           iii.      committed to the Taiwan Relations Act

                                                           iv.      fully enforce Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act

                                                             v.      condemn the internment of more than one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in concentration camps in China

                                                           vi.      North Korea – build a campaign to advance the goal of denuclearization, support humanitarian aid, pressure regime to cease its gross human rights abuses

e.       Europe

                                                               i.      Trump has damaged our ties with Europe and we will fix them

                                                             ii.      stand up to Russia

                                                           iii.      reaffirm commitment to NATO

f.        Middle East

                                                               i.      move away from military intervention and towards pragmatic diplomacy

                                                             ii.      we should not impose regime change on other countries

                                                           iii.      Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best way to cut off Iran’s pathways to a nuclear bomb

1.       Trump withdrew from this plan

                                                           iv.      help find a political resolution to the war in Syria

                                                             v.      concerned about Lebanon, will work with them to promote economic and political reform

                                                           vi.      commit to Israel’s security, it’s military edge and it’s right to defend itself

                                                          vii.      work to help end the Israel/Palestine conflict

1.       two-state solution

2.       Jerusalem should stay the capital of Israel

3.       oppose any effort to delegitimize Israel