Lock of hair settles questions about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings (Level 1)

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. For a long time, people have asked if he had children with Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman at his home, Monticello. Many historians believed this was true. Now, a new scientific study gives stronger proof. Scientists found a hair from Jefferson's head. It was cut on July 4, 1826, the day he died. They studied its DNA. The DNA matched what was expected for Jefferson. Researchers also looked at DNA from living descendants of Jefferson and Hemings. The results support the idea that Jefferson was the father of Hemings' children. Descendants say this confirmation is important. Clara Lee Nutt lost her father when she was ten. She feels his memory is now honored. David Miller says the whole family can be accepted as one. The discovery helps us understand America's complicated history with slavery and its promise of equality.