The discoveries that reshaped what historians know about America’s Founding Fathers
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Supreme Court strikes down Trump birthright citizenship order in blow to president US NewsThe discoveries that reshaped what historians know about America’s Founding Fathers
By Andrea Margolis , Fox News Published June 30, 2026, 11:18 a.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.
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The Founding Fathers left behind extensive writings, but new discoveries continue to deepen historians’ understanding of America’s most influential figures.
Advances in archaeology, DNA analysis and archival research have uncovered forgotten documents, artifacts and other evidence from the nation’s earliest years.
Over the past century, discoveries have offered fresh insight into America’s founders, changing how historians understand their lives and legacies, as detailed below.
Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings
According to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF), Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, fathered at least six children with Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman at Monticello.
Though it was rumored during his lifetime that Jefferson fathered children with one of the enslaved women, it wasn’t until a landmark 1998 DNA study that historians found scientific evidence that appears to support the claim.
Hemings was brought to Paris from 1787 to 1789 to work as a servant and maid for Jefferson’s household.
“While in Paris, where enslaved people could petition for their freedom, she negotiated with Jefferson to return to enslavement at Monticello in exchange for ‘extraordinary privileges’ for herself and freedom for her unborn children,” the TJF states on its website.
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“Decades later, Jefferson freed all of Sally Hemings’s children … [he] did not grant freedom to any other enslaved family unit.”
After reviewing documentary, scientific, statistical and oral history evidence, the Foundation concluded that Jefferson most likely fathered Hemings’ children, a position now widely accepted by mainstream historians.
Not all historians agree with that assessment, however.
After reviewing historical evidence, the Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society concluded that Hemings “was only a minor figure in Thomas Jefferson’s life and that it is very unlikely he fathered any of her children,” according to the TJF website.
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“This committee also suggested in its report, issued in April 2001 and revised in 2011, that Jefferson’s younger brother Randolph (1755-1815) was more likely the father of at least some of Sally Hemings’s children,” the website adds.
George Washington’s distillery
In 1999, archaeologists at Mount Vernon uncovered the remains of George Washington’s long-lost whiskey distillery — revealing that the first president operated what had become the largest commercial distillery in the US by the time he died in 1799.
Historians had long known that Washington operated a distillery through surviving records, but the archaeological excavation revealed the scale and sophistication of the operation.
The facility was “one of the largest, highest producing operations in the area,” Mount Vernon’s website says.
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“The evidence also highlights the fact that this distillery was operating at an industrial scale, compared to the one or two still farmer-distillers common in the 18th and early 19th centuries,” the site adds.
During the excavation, archaeologists uncovered stone foundations, teacups, drinking glasses and evidence of the distillery’s copper stills and boilers, which helped researchers reconstruct how the massive operation functioned.
“Research suggests that George Washington was one of the most innovative and enterprising farmers in America’s history,” Mount Vernon’s website says.
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“This entrepreneurial spirit can be seen in such exhibits as the 16-sided treading barn, the gristmill and the distillery.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration draft
In 1947, historian Julian P. Boyd discovered a previously unknown draft of the Declaration of Independence among Jefferson’s papers.
The Library of Congress’s website describes the draft as “brief, but critically important,” noting that it predated the famous “Rough Draught” Jefferson later produced.
Comparing the older fragment and the “Rough Draught,” the historian found that Jefferson revised his language more extensively than previously documented.
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The fragment also gave historians a clearer picture of the drafting process, helping them trace Jefferson’s edits alongside revisions made by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Congress before the Declaration’s adoption.
“Heavily edited in Jefferson’s clear, precise hand, the fragment proved to be a key component in unraveling the story of the writing of the Declaration,” the website notes.
“The existence of the fragment confirmed the view of those historians, who had argued that a heavily edited draft must have preceded the copy Jefferson had endorsed as the original rough draft.”
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
