Mister Randolph is a bit of an eccentric who immediately recognizes that Harriet is Thomas Jefferson's illegitimate daughter. One day, her mother asks Harriet to bring in breakfast for Thomas's son-in-law, Mister Randolph. Harriet thinks that Thomas Jefferson is her real father, as, unlike the other black folk, she is very fair skinned and even has reddish hair. One day, her master gives her a leather journal to write her thoughts in. Unlike many black servants of the time, her master is encourages his servants to learn how to read and write and treats his slaves very kindly. Harriet Hemings is a black servant of the famous Thomas Jefferson who is content living a fairly idyllic life on her master's estate in the town of Monticello, Virginia. Harriet is fair-skinned enough that she is given the chance to pass as a white woman and become a integrated into white society, during a period in history where even freed slaves struggle against oppression.
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