A team of noted historians have examined the allegations that Thomas Jefferson fathered a child with his slave, Sally Hemings. What they have concluded is that he didn't. The evidence that he did not only is circumstantial (common DNA), but it applies to a dozen or so males in the Jefferson family, several of whom would have been more likely to father a child with a slave. Other evidence suggests that Jefferson did not provide any special privileges for Sally Hemings.
None of this should matter much to the reputation of Thomas Jefferson. That he was a slave holder is a serious enough negative on his otherwise stellar biography. What the report shows, however, is that there is a campaign in academia generally to denigrate American heroes and historical achievements. This has infected many high schools and a large share of universities.
Once again we see that cynicism is a form of naivete, and among the worst. A gullible acceptance of allegations of wickedness in leaders is surely even more reprehensible than a gullible disposition to imagine them all as blameless.
