Thomas Jefferson
publication date: Thursday, August 4, 2016 (part of Summer 2016)
category: Government
clue: Americans both black and white can claim this independence-declaring founding father to be their ancestor, but they can't claim him to be James Madison.
explanation: Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. A group of African Americans claiming to be descended from Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings were vindicated when a DNA test showed that they were indeed related to him. more…
intended difficulty: easy
do-over: This was a "do-over" goo, inspired by incorrect guesses for a previous goo.
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Justin Woods, Matthew Preston, and Jesse King
trivia: This goo was inspired by incorrect guesses for a goo of James Madison.
Similar Goos

Thomas Jefferson
after two other presidents, he declared that it was time to move on up to the White House himself Go »
Pat McCrory
This Southern governor might forever be remembered for declaring where people get to pee. Go »
James Madison
This Founding Father is remembered for drafting the Bill of Rights, overseeing the Louisiana Purchase, serving eight years as president, and declaring war on Britain, but also for owning hundreds of slaves on his Virginia plantation. Go »
Chris Stevens
The killing of this diplomat in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 continues to be a factor in the 2016 election. Go »
Nigel Farage
Nobody should be more excited about the Brexit than the guy who has, off and on over the last decade, led a political party founded on the notion of independence. Go »