Bad English by Darren Rigby in Perpignan, France: Agrégation anglais 2009, CAPES anglais 2009

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson et l'Ouest est un des thèmes de civilisation pour l'Agrégation d'anglais (interne et externe) et le CAPES d'anglais 2006*. En attendant le livre recommandé dans les programmes - The Journals of Lewis and Clark voici quelques liens qui vous permettra de commencer votre réflexion sur le sujet.

N'hésitez pas à laisser un commentaire si vous avez des informations, des références ou des liens intéressants (Candidats au CAPES et à l'Agrégation, this means you!)

* Vous pouvez consulter les programmes des concours d'anglais 2006 en choissant les liens dans la barre navigation du site.

Thomas Jefferson and the West

Let's do this in English! You might like to start with a Brief Biography of Thomas Jefferson that sits on one page. Then you could certainly do worse than consult the relevant Wikipedia page for a more detailed overview. A perusal of B.L. Rayner's online text A Life of Thomas Jefferson, published eight years after his death charts, well, Jefferson's life and gives a contemporary view of events such as the Louisiana Purchase.

Update: Thanks to Kimberly O who mentioned the National Geographic Lewis and Clark site on the AgreGang list. She writes: "It's full of interesting stuff, pictures, a timeline, etc. Great for getting in the mood, and easy reference while going through the book.."

Now that you know a bit more about Jefferson, you will want to have a look at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. With regard to the Agrégation and CAPES, you will be pleased to find a section entitled Jefferson's West : Thomas Jefferson and the Clark Expedition at Monticello.

You must of course consult Jefferson's secret message sent to Congress on January 18, 1803, requesting $2,500 "for the purpose of extending the external commerce of the U.S." marking the official beginning of the Lewis and Clark expedition which is discussed at the PBS Living History site. The first section asks Why did Jefferson want the West? There are a further 8 sections which discuss the expedition, its actors and historical significance.

You may also like to visit the PBS websites dedicated to two film documentaries : Thomas Jefferson, a film by Ken Burns and Lewis and Clark, the Journey of the Corps of Discovery.

You will now be in no doubt as to the importance of Jefferson in US history and the National Lewis and Clark Bi-centenial Commemoration and Thomas Jefferson Memorial websites will confirm this if you visit them.

If you are still in need of quotations and other material, The Thomas Jefferson Papers at the American Library of Congress should oblige, not forgetting the Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive .

The last word goes to the people at the Jefferson Memorial who write

Was Thomas Jefferson more than a politician or a man of government? The answer seems to be "yes." Jefferson delved into many arenas of the world. "Renaissance Man" may be the perfect term for Jefferson.

Labels: agregation-anglais, CAPES-anglais, concours-anglais

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