On the anniversary of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty (April 30, 1803), take a look at this letter from Thomas Jefferson to Congress highlighting the significance of the historical transaction. The treaty, which cost roughly four cents an acre, doubled the size of the United States, expanding the nation westward beyond the Mississippi River. France's ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte, was losing interest in establishing a North American empire and needed funds to combat the British. He inst

The fact that Thomas Jefferson had children with his slave Sally Hemmings was denied by Jefferson's family for almost 2 centuries–until DNA evidence confirmed it. A descendent of Jefferson and Hemmings learns the details of the story. A new episode of One Thousand Years of Slavery airs this Monday at 8 PM. #1000YearsOfSlavery | Smithsonian Channel