27. Present doubts
There’s a lot to consider when weighing the social dynamics of the 18th century. The public was uncomfortable with the revelation that the person who wrote the Declaration of Independence was also having an affair with a young (probably underaged) enslaved woman and then denying the children he had with her on public record.
Yet at the same time, knowing the reality of the circumstances helps us step away from the rose-colored lenses we often view the past with—and that’s troublesome for some. One can never know for sure the true nature of the relationship. Our Founding Fathers, and certainly our presidents, were not perfect.