[USA] - 3rd President of the USA Thomas Jefferson - Part 2

Thomas Jefferson	Birth: 13 April 1743
	Died: 4 July 1826
	Party: Democratic-Republican
	Presidency: 1801 ~ 1809
	Vice President: Aaron Burr, George Clinton
	Nickname: Red Fox

 

● Lewis-Clark Expedition

Before the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson ordered an expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory. Meriwether Lewis who was Thomas Jefferson’s secretary along with William Clark who had plenty of military experience led the expedition with scientists, linguists and other scholars with military escort to explore along the Missouri River and the Louisiana region.

 

The expedition started on May of 1804 in Saint Louis and ended in September of 1806. By the help of Sacajawea and native tribes, the Lewis-Clark Expedition team successfully brought indigenous plant and animal samples and studies of them. This information helped many studies and also the interest in nature among the public increased as well.

 

 

●    Sacajawea

Sacajawea was a Shoshone tribe woman who became a symbol of cooperation between native American as the savior of the Lewis-Clark Expedition. Sacajawea helped the Lewis-Clark Expedition by interpretation between native Americans and as a guide of the expedition team.

 

 

Thanks to Sacajawea, the Lewis-Clark Expedition were able to avoid hostile actions from the Native Americans as they would acknowledge the team’s peaceful intentions by Sacajawea’s communication.

Also, her knowledge of the wilderness contributed to the studies of the Lewis-Clark Expedition and their survival as the expedition team had to hunter-gather resources due to short of supplies.

 

● Audubon’s birds

After the Lewis-Clark Expedition, the public interests and demand in studies of nature has increased. John James Audubon was an ornithologist which is the study of birds. He published the ‘Birds of America’ which is still an influential for ornithology of preset day. Audubon was a very good painter and all of the paintings in the book were all color painted and drawn by John Audubon himself.

 

 

● Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught scholar. He was one of the first black scholar. He had talent in astronomy and math. Benjamin Banneker already showed impressive work back up to George Washington.

Benjamin worked for the District of Columbia Commission by George Washington to help search the site for the new capital for the United States. He published almanac annually and even sent copies to Jefferson in request of establishing better life for black people of the United States.

 

 

● Triangular Trade

Unlike common sense, in many countries, slave trades were at least declared illegal very early in history including the United States. Thomas Jefferson persuaded the Congress to ban slave trades which banned import of slaves. This law was effective on 1808. However, also known as the ‘Triangular Trade’ route, slaves were still traded illegally. The slave trade was essential to the plantations in the South.

 

 

New England’s fine rum distilleries were traded for slaves in Africa. War lords, tribal leaders and slave traders would sell rival tribes in exchange of the rum. Then, in terrible conditions, the slaves were transported to the West Indies into plantations.

The plantations in the West Indies would produce molasses which is shipped to New England’s rum distilleries. This would be an example of the Triangular Trade for the United States of America.

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● Noah Webster    

Noah Webster was famous for his dictionary publishment. Already, the British style English and American style English was different, however there wasn’t a distinctive dictionary that incorporated the American style English. Noah Webster spent a life-long effort to publish an English dictionary in terms of American style English.

The dictionary defined more than 70,000 English terms. Still, many dictionaries are named after Noah Webster as a commemoration.

 

 

● The Shakers  

Also known as the ‘Shaking Quakers’, the Shakers is a cooperative religious community founded by Ann Lee. Shakers or the Shaking Quakers is a bit of a radical religion. Shakers do not have children as a religious belief. The religious values of the Shakers were devotion to God, simplicity and diligence.