#HappyBirthdayUSA
In a compelling, richly researched novel that
draws from thousands of letters and original sources,
bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the
fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jeffersonβs eldest
daughter, Martha βPatsyβ Jefferson
Randolphβa woman who kept the secrets of our most
enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.
From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that
though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to
his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jeffersonβs
oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and
constant companion in the wake of her motherβs death,
traveling with him when he becomes American minister to
France. It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among
the first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-
old Patsy learns about her fatherβs troubling liaison
with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile,
Patsy has fallen in loveβwith her fatherβs
protΓ©gΓ© William Short, a staunch abolitionist
and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and
the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose
a life as Williamβs wife and still be a devoted
daughter. Her choice will follow her in the years to come,
to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House.
And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family,
Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her
father's reputation, in the process defining not just his
political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.
Start Reading AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER Now
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