To A2 - Anglais au collège

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was born on 13th April 1743 in Shadwell and he died on the 4th July 1826 in Monticello.

He was the third president of the USA from 1801 to 1809.He was a philosopher, an inventor and an architect.

He wrote the Declaration of Independence. When his father died in 1757, he left orders so that Thomas would complete his education. Thomas, after the words of his father, entered the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in 1760.

In 1803, he convinced the Senate to “buy” or purchase the Louisiana territory. It was French at the time. The treaty was signed and he wanted to explore the “great rock mountains” in the west.
So, Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803 to explore the Northwest Territory in order to have a transcontinental route and discover natural resources. Their objective was to follow the Missouri River west and eventually find out if they could connect this river with an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean.
He chose his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis an intelligent man. Lewis asked William Clark, who was excellent at drawing and drafting.

They returned to St. Louis by September 1806 with their journals, maps and drawings and showed them to Jefferson. It was a real success.

He was married in January to Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-1780). They had a happy marriage. Marta played the piano and he played the violin. They had six children but four of them died before being adults.

All his life, Thomas Jefferson defended democracy and the rights of men.

.