R XII

INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE NEW REPUBLIC

As with reverent thought we turn from the closing days of George
Washington's life, our interest is drawn to the career of another national
hero, with whom we associate the most remarkable expansion in the area of
our country.

[Illustration: Thomas Jefferson.]

Already through the achievements of early pioneers and settlers, such as
Daniel Boone in Kentucky, John Sevier and James Robertson in Tennessee,
and George Rogers Clark in the region of the Great Lakes, the country
lying between the Alleghany Mountains and the Mississippi River had come
to be a part of the United States.

But now in a very different and much easier way the territory lying beyond
the Mississippi and stretching westward to the Rocky Mountains was added
to the national domain. This we obtained, not by exploration or
settlement, but by purchase; and the man who had most to do with our
getting it was Thomas Jefferson.

The story of the purchase is most interesting, but hardly more so than the
story of Thomas Jefferson himself.

He was born in 1743 near Charlottesville, Virginia, on a plantation of
nearly two thousand acres. As a boy he lived an out-of-door life, hunting,
fishing, swimming, or paddling his boat in the river near his home, and
sometimes riding his father's horses. He was a skilful and daring rider,
and remained to the end of his long life fond of a fine horse.

[Illustration: "Monticello," the Home of Jefferson.]

He was a most promising lad. At five he entered school, and even at that
early age began his lifelong habit of careful reading and studying. While
still but a boy he was known among his playmates for his industry and the
thorough way in which he did his work.

At seventeen he entered William and Mary College at Williamsburg,
Virginia. Here he worked hard, sometimes studying fifteen hours a day. But
for his sound body and strong health he must have broken down under such a
severe strain.

Yet this hard-working student was no mere bookworm. He was cheerful and
full of life, and was very much liked by his fellow students. Among other
friends made during his college days was the fun-loving Patrick Henry, who
with his jokes and stories kept every one about him in good humor. In time
their friendship became so intimate that when Patrick Henry came to
Williamsburg as a member of the House of Burgesses, he shared Jefferson's
rooms. Both were fond of music, and spent many