All language subtitles for The White House s01e04 Scandals and Lies.eng

(audience cheering and clapping)

(soft music)

- I have missed you, my love.

(soft music continues)

(president jefferson chuckles)

(soft music continues)

- Now the president
will deny it, of course,

But I went to monticello,

Visited a nearby tavern there,

At the same lurid
tale time and again.

Thomas jefferson's bed is kept
warm by one sally hemings,

A light-skinned
woman in his employ.

- You're a goddamn liar.

- Am I?

You grew up

Close to jefferson's plantation
in virginia, didn't you?

You must have heard the stories.

Seen his little
brood of mulattos.

If you squint a bit, you
can see the likeness.

(child giggling)

But then,

What is the point in
being the president

If you can't take a
slave into your bed,

Sire your children
with her? (laughing)

- You know,

During my time in the army,

(gun clunks)

I was called upon to
kill number of men.

(gun clicking)

Not one of their deaths
cost me a moments sleep.

(quiet music)

- You'd kill me because
I tell the truth

About the president?

- I doubt I'll have to
kill you, mr. Callender.

You'll do that all by yourself.

(chair scoots)

Have another drink on me.

(coin clunks)

(footsteps clunking)

- I won't be
silenced, mr. Lewis.

Tell the president james t.
Callender is coming for him.

(door clunks)

(soft intense music)

(dramatic upbeat music)

(dramatic upbeat
music continues)

(dramatic upbeat
music continues)

(birds chirping)

(chickens clucking)
(dramatic music)

(axe thudding)

- Mr. President, sir.

- Good morning, john.

What a beautiful day.

- Surely is.

- Oh,

Are they for me?

Oh, well, thank you, honey.

They're almost as pretty as you.

- Sally hemings was one
of the young female slaves

Who lived at monticello,
which of course,

Was owned by thomas jefferson.

Sally was a mixed race slave

With a white father and a
enslaved african mother,

But hemings was
also the half-sister

Of jefferson's wife,

So thomas jefferson married
one sister who was free,

And then took as a
concubine, the other sister.

- And there were some accounts

That she resembled
thomas jefferson's wife.

(birds chirping)

(door squeaking)

(soft music)

- Not that basket.

That's the master's basket.

All the servant's clothes
go in the other one.

You must be that new man
servant we all heard about.

- Yes, I am.

John, john freeman.

- Well, john freeman,

You can quit staring and
help me dry some laundry.

- Melinda colbert is
sally hemings's niece,

And she was given
as a wedding present

When she was about
nine years old

To maria jefferson.

- One of her jobs was
to be the body servant,

To be the companion of
thomas jefferson's daughter,

So melinda worked
inside the house

And she was a friend of sally.

(wheel squeaking)

- You didn't have to do this.

- Well,

I figured I'd do
something for you

And you do something for me.

- What is it you want
from me, john freeman?

- I wanna know what's going on

With the master and that woman.

- Well, you playing
with fire there.

You don't talk about
that at monticello

Unless you're absolutely
sure no one is listening.

She has two kids,

Both his.

There were more,
but some died young.

- And nobody knows about this?

- Some of their friends maybe,

The madisons for sure.

They're here all the time.

Sally has her own cabin

Away from the house in
the slaves quarters,

But there's a
private passageway,

Leads to the master's property,

Makes it possible for her

To visit his rooms when
no body is looking.

- Jefferson had successfully
kept his relationship

With sally hemings a secret.

- However, jefferson
does have enemies.

There are people in
the united states

Who do not like thomas jefferson

And are looking for
anything they can find

To help tear him down.

(horse hooves clomping)

(gentle music)

- Captain lewis,

I'm disappointed.

You're supposed to
be a man of action.

I expected you to return
from your mission victorious,

Not waving the white
flag of surrender.

- I made the proposal to
callender, as you asked.

He declined.

- That's the
trouble with drunks.

There's no reasoning with 'em.

- He made a number of
malicious accusations

About your household staff,

About your relationship

To one in particular.

- No one would ever believe him.

Let him shoot his mouth off.

- Are you certain,
mr. President?

There are other more
persuasive avenues

That could be explored.

- I don't think there'll be
a need for violence, captain.

At least not yet.

No, callender's a loud mouth.

Give him a week and
he'll come crawling back,

Begging for that $50.

(birds chirping)
(dramatic music)

(ash shovel scraping)

(james vocalizing)

- Has almost complete
control of the island.

He's freed over half
a million slaves,

Including the ones that he's
released from santa domingo.

Now the french emperor,
napoleon bonaparte,

Has sent a fleet of 20,000 men

To retake the colony
from the rebel slaves.

The southern plantation
owners are worried, thomas.

Haiti is offering
citizenship to anyone black

Who can make it to their shores.

(reflective music)

- Haiti is a very small island,

About 1,000 miles
away from washington,

But a very big problem for
the jefferson administration.

(chain clanking)

- It was actually the location

Of the first truly
successful slave revolution,

And one of the things
slave-holding white americans

And plantation owners knew

Is that if just one slave
revolution was successful,

It could topple the entire
system in the united states.

(reflective music continues)

- Freeman!

Over here, now.

Look at me.

How much of our
conversation did you hear?

- Most of it.

- I see.

Do you know about the slave
rebellion in haiti, freeman?

- I guess I do.

Ain't too many black
folk that haven't heard.

- And what do they say about it?

It's all right, john,
you may be candid.

- Well, I guess most folk
think that haitians are heroes,

Like spartacus and his father
was back in the roman times.

- Except spartacus was white.

- Didn't stop the romans from
killing him though, did it?

- Go on.

- Maybe the romans were scared

Of what a slave might do to
those who kept them in chains.

Maybe slavery ain't a
black or white thing.

It's about people making money,

Pure and simple.

Truth is, sir,

I believe in all those
powerful things you said

About we all being born equal.

That's a world to
look forward to.

I'm sorry, sir.

My mouth just runs
off on me sometimes.

- Become a politician,
we get paid for it.

(james chuckling)

All right, john.

- Well, thomas,

What are we going
to do about haiti?

- Thomas jefferson does not want

A haitian revolution happening
in the united states.

Even as he's arguing and writing

The declaration of
independence, over his lifetime,

He's holding maybe
600 plus slaves.

He's using slaves for his
plantation, monticello.

He's using slaves
at the white house

And he doesn't want them
thinking about revolution,

So he decides to act
like haiti doesn't exist.

He doesn't acknowledge
haiti as a country at all.

- The time is coming when we
will need to expand our nation.

It is not practical

Or reasonable to expect

Whites, blacks,
indians to coexist.

If populations grow as they are,

We need space to breathe.

Space to contain.

(lively music)

(staff laughing)

- Go on. What does it say?

- "it is well
known that the man,

Whom it delighted
the people to honor,

Keeps, and for many years past

Has kept as his concubine
one of his own slaves.

Her name is sally hemings,

(staff laughing)

And by this wench, our
president has had several..."

(lively music continues)

(paper crinkling)

- "and by this wench,

Our president has
had several children,

And there is not an individual

In the neighborhood
of charlottesville

Who does not believe this story,

Not a few who know it."

- "the black venus

Is said to officiate as
housekeeper at monticello.

When mr. Jefferson
reads this article,

He will have leisure to estimate
how much is lost or gained

By so many unprovoked
attacks upon jt callender."

- In 1802, james callender
writes this story

About thomas jefferson
and sally hemings

And it's going to become the
first presidential sex scandal.

- What'll you do?

- Nothing.

(paper crinkling)

I shall hold my peace.

Callender wants to
burn everything down.

I will deny him that oxygen.

- It's the talk of washington,
but jefferson ignores it.

He never talks about it
publicly one way or the other.

- And in fact, until dna,

There were noted historians
who were denying it.

Oh, jefferson, our boy jefferson
would never have done that.

And there were those of us
saying, "oh, yes he could."

(dramatic music)
(heartbeat thumping)

- I knew deep down that someday
the truth would come out,

That one of his opponents would
discover our relationship,

Use it to shame him.

I just never guessed
it would hurt this bad.

Stupid, stupid sally.

He will never acknowledge me

Or the children.

My greatest fear now is
that he will send us away,

Sell us.

Worse,

Separate me from the children.

- You could run away.

- And how far do you think
I would get with no money

And the president of the
united states chasing after me?

- There's always haiti.

- Ugh. (chuckling)

Anyway, what's happening with
you and that john freeman?

I saw you both coming out of
the laundry room together.

You know that's a place

Where stuff's supposed to
get cleaner, not dirtier.

(both chuckling)

- I like him a lot.

Do you think you could
speak with the master about

Taking me into his service
at the white house with john?

- Seriously?

- No harm in asking, is there?

- Oh.
(both giggling)

(intense music)

(bird chirping)

- Secretary of state.

Ah, mr. Monroe, glad
you could make it.

What do you know about
haiti, mr. Monroe?

- James monroe was a
revolutionary war hero.

He cuts his teeth as a diplomat
in France during the 1790s.

- I know the napoleon
bonaparte forces,

They have been
decimated by disease,

And if he loses haiti,

He might rethink France's
ambitions in the new world.

- Napoleon tried to retake
haiti from enslaved rebels,

Who had declared haiti
autonomous of France,

And it failed spectacularly.

What napoleon really
needs now is money.

- [narrator] France controlled
land in the united states.

The entire territory
was called louisiana.

- Today it covers
about 15 us states

From the gulf of
mexico up to canada,

From the mississippi river
out to the rocky mountains.

- I'm sorry, sir.

Did you just ask me to go to
France and buy new orleans?

- Exactly that. You are
authorized to offer $10 million.

- Thomas, that is-

- But he has to throw
in west florida.

- That is insane, thomas.

We don't have anything
like that in ready cash,

And even if we did, is it
even legal for the president

To purchase territory without
approval from congress?

- It is the destiny of this
country to grow larger.

That cannot be achieved
if we allow foreign powers

To control our waterways.

Napoleon will listen.

He's busy conquering europe.

God knows he needs the money.

(president jefferson
speaking french)

Don't come back empty-handed.

(gentle music)

(broom whooshing)

(dramatic music)

(cart rattling)

(patrons chattering)

- You see this is what
captain lewis writes.

"is the james river capable
of cleansing your soul?"

(paper crinkling)
(hand pounds)

Now, I don't know about you,

But that sounds a
lot like a threat.

- Hmm.

- Callender's report on sally
hemings is a great threat

To thomas jefferson.

Jefferson himself is furious

That this is
reported in the news.

(cup banging)

- Maybe I should ask
the fool himself.

- No one would
publish callender.

I mean, he was persona
non grata to everybody

Because he could turn from
one side to the other.

(door slams)

(fist pounds)

(scene buzzing)

- Oh.

George.

(footsteps clunking)

Aah.

- When your own lawyer beats
you up, as george hay did,

You're probably not a great guy.

(lively music)

- I'm sorry, gentlemen, I think
there's been some confusion.

You did just say 15 million.

- I did.

- You offered napoleon $15
million for new orleans

And west florida when we
agreed 10 was our limit.

- Sorry, thomas,
you misunderstand.

The $15 million isn't
for new orleans.

- Well, what in the name
of hades is it for then?

(soft music)

(james chuckling)

I don't understand.

Are you saying?
(james vocalizing)

- That crazy french bastard
offered us the whole

Of louisiana for $15
million. (laughing)

- Jefferson's greatest
accomplishment

Was the louisiana
purchase, without a doubt.

Real estate, the
steal of the century,

Of $15 million for
this huge tract of land

That effectively doubled
the size of the country.

- He even threw in
a pint of champagne.

(all laughing)

You don't look happy.

What?

Why aren't you happy?

This is a good thing.

This is an amazing thing.

- Jefferson has
made his reputation

As a strict constructionist
of the constitution.

The government
cannot do anything

That is not explicitly
mentioned in the constitution.

Now, he spent $15 million
purchasing louisiana

And there's nothing that says
the president can do this.

- We are this close to the
greatest prize in history,

A vast expanse that
will make america

The most powerful
nation on earth.

We just have to make sure
we bring everyone on board.

Nothing can derail this.

Nothing.

(bells tolling)

(door squeaks and slams)

(soft music)

James,

Would you care to explain why
we're meeting in a church?

Why all the cloak and dagger?

- I have bad news,

Something I thought
better discussed

Away from the white house.

It's callender.

He approached me
wanting to speak.

He's in possession of
letters written by you to him

Before the election, letters
that prove that you paid

For his articles
attacking john adams.

- Impossible.

There are no such letters.

(gentle pensive music)

- I have read them, thomas.

They are undeniably
authentic, your hand.

Callender says that he has
countless others hidden away.

He's threatening to release
them all to the press.

- Well,

That's sad.

He said he would
ruin me, now he can.

If this gets out, the
louisiana deal will collapse.

(fist bangs)

- Maybe he can be reasoned with.

- That has been attempted.

He's not a man to
be reasoned with.

- Then we should just have
to hope for some miracle.

(eerie music)

(thunder rumbling)

(dramatic music)

(door clunks)

(eerie music continues)

(callender grunts)

(intense music)
(footsteps thumping)

(intense music continues)

(intense eerie music continues)

- Oh.

(intense music continues)

Try to sneak up on
a man, would you?

Uh-uh, you.

He sent you again, did he?

Well, you can tell him
to go to hell. (laughs)

Finally found your
balls, did ya?

(club pounds)
(dramatic music)

(bird chirping)

(soft music)

- James.

Your letter says you
have found a solution

To our louisiana conundrum.

- Yes.

Well, your opponents
in new England

Are refusing to support
the louisiana purchase.

Some fear that the power

Of the existing states
will be diluted,

That their economic
dominance will be curtailed.

Others insist that
the constitution gives you no such power.

Now, napoleon bonaparte
has told our french embassy

That unless we pay
up immediately,

The deal is off the table.

- Dear lord, james, none of
that sounds like a solution.

- We need to reframe
the conversation.

The constitution says
that the president

Has the power to make

International treaties.

- How does that help us?

- Well, we need to
think of the purchase

Not as a transaction,

But as a treaty with France.

- James madison is adamant
that this is a treaty

And that land exchanges have
always been parts of treaties

And international negotiations.

- That is brilliant.

You are a genius.

(intense pensive music)

James, is there something else?

- James callender is dead.

They found him drowned
in the james river.

- Oh, that's terrible.

Alcohol-related?

- Seems that way.

- They found him drowned in
three feet of the james river

And they declared it
death by misadventure,

That he had gotten drunk,
stumbled into the water,

Passed out and died from this.

The federalists had a
different interpretation,

That foul play had been
involved by someone

Devoted to jefferson, but
it never went anywhere.

- Well,

(heartbeat thumping)

The world moves on.

We have great tasks to perform.

(heartbeat thumping continues)

(dramatic music)

- One person dies,
another is born.

(gunfire bangs)

- I've already
buried two children,

And now we're
gonna have another.

Thomas, make us free.

- 12 years is a reign
and I refuse to become

What we set out to overthrow.

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