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.ANCIENT ROMAN'S 'MISHAP' LEADS TO RARE JEWELRY DISCOVERY IN BRITISH COUNTRYSIDEAccording 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.Historians continue to uncover new evidence that sheds light on the lives and legacies of America's Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson (left) and George Washington (right).(Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images; Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)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.EXCAVATORS DISCOVER PREHISTORIC VILLAGE BENEATH FUTURE GOLF COURSE: 'REMARKABLE JOURNEY'Hemings was brought to Paris from 1787 to 1789 to work as a servant and maid for Jefferson's household.Sally Hemings lived and worked at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, where historians continue examining evidence surrounding her relationship with the third president.
(Norm Shafer/ For The Washington Post via Getty Images)"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."Decades later, Jefferson freed all of Sally Hemings’s children .....