| | James Madison, Jefferson's handpicked successor as president, was a loyal follower. After his retirement to Monticello in 1809, Jefferson wrote numerous letters and continued to play a major role in policy-making. Although Jefferson had long pressed for war with Britain, he had neglected the military. When Congress finally declared war in 1812, the country was tragically unprepared. | | James Madison, Jefferson's handpicked successor as president, was a loyal follower. After his retirement to Monticello in 1809, Jefferson wrote numerous letters and continued to play a major role in policy-making. Although Jefferson had long pressed for war with Britain, he had neglected the military. When Congress finally declared war in 1812, the country was tragically unprepared. |
| − | In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Jefferson was the South's favorite [[Founding Father]], while northerners preferred [[Alexander Hamilton]]. President Franklin Roosevelt did to much to promote the memory of Jefferson, and it now eclipses that of Hamilton. This is ironic since Roosevelt's bloated New Deal regime is hard to reconcile with Jefferson's vision of a minimal federal government. Although Jefferson's party dissolved in 1825, the modern Democratic Party claims Jefferson as its founder. In 1998, DNA testing confirmed an old accusation that Jefferson had fathered children by [[Sally Hemings]], one of his slaves.<ref name=foundation>[http://www.monticello.org/site/plantation-and-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-brief-account Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: A Brief Account], Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation</ref> Jefferson was bankrupt when he died, so he was not able to free Hemings or most of his other slaves.<ref>Schwabach, Aaron. "Thomas Jefferson, Slavery, and Slaves." ''Thomas Jefferson Law Review'' 33, no. 1 (Fall 2010): 1-60. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 16, 2014).</ref> However, he did free all six of the children he had with Hemings.<ref name="foundation" /> | + | In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Jefferson was the South's favorite [[Founding Father]], while northerners preferred [[Alexander Hamilton]]. President Franklin Roosevelt did to much to promote the memory of Jefferson, and it now eclipses that of Hamilton. This is ironic since Roosevelt's bloated New Deal regime is hard to reconcile with Jefferson's vision of a minimal federal government. Although Jefferson's party dissolved in 1825, the modern Democratic Party claims Jefferson as its founder. In 1998, DNA testing provided some evidence for an old accusation that Jefferson had fathered children by [[Sally Hemings]], with whom the widowed Jefferson alleged had a relationship while Hemings was with him in Paris, where she was free.<ref name=foundation>[http://www.monticello.org/site/plantation-and-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-brief-account Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: A Brief Account], Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation</ref> Jefferson was bankrupt when he died, so he was not able to free Hemings or most of his other slaves.<ref>Schwabach, Aaron. "Thomas Jefferson, Slavery, and Slaves." ''Thomas Jefferson Law Review'' 33, no. 1 (Fall 2010): 1-60. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 16, 2014).</ref> However, he did free all six of the children he had with Hemings.<ref name="foundation" /> |