Tuesday, October 21, 2014


Do you know there is not a single goddamned entry in the entire googleverse for "psychology of Thomas Jefferson?" That guy was cracked, man: Martha Jefferson was his third cousin--By the way, try finding out something about Martha. Nothing! No pic, no writing, nothing by TJ on her, NOTHING!--Martha's dad knocked up Sally Hemings slave mom, making Sally and Martha half-sisters; Sally and Martha looked alike; slave Sally came with Martha to TJ as part of her dowry; Martha died after the birth of a child, made TJ promise never to remarry, TJ inconsolable at Martha's death, well not quite, has Martha-look-alike slave-Sally move into White House; 37-year relationship with slave-Martha-look-alike-Sally; knocks Sally up; never manumits Sally even in his will!; never manumits their children in his life; writes "All men created equal," very Christian; was not a Christian, was an Epicurean; arch-Republican; conflict-averse; not so conflict-averse that he didn't own 600 slaves, approve whipping his own slaves (by others, of course); not so conflict averse that he didn't disapprove, Mao-like, violence (by others, of course) of French Revolution "Terror;" approved "terror" (by others, of course) of selling own frisky slaves into Deep South as "example" to the others; designed and built Monticello on top of a mountain, above and withdrawn from the world; ingenious use of topography to keep slaves on Mulberry Row out of sight, out of mind; ingenious use of tunnels, dumbwaiters, false doors to keep downstairs slaves out of sight out of mind of upstairs Sage and guests. Lived a lie his entire goddamned life.

No! Nothing to write about on Jefferson's psychology! Guy was an open book.

America was created by Thomas Jefferson. His psyche is our psyche. And we have lived his lies. We have white-washed his history, denied it, suppressed it, censored it. The American "City on a Hill?" It's Monticello.

Image: the only known likeness of Martha Jefferson.