Unit 2: Our First Communities
People who Made a Difference
Jacques Marquette
1637 - 1675
Jacques Marquette moved to the United States from France to set up missions for Native Americans. He and Louis Jolliet explored the Mississippi River in search of the Northwest Passage.
Thomas Jefferson
1743 - 1826
Thomas Jefferson loved reading and exploring nature as a child. Later Jefferson became a farmer, a scholar and a politician. He is best remembered today as the third United States President. However, Jefferson did a great deal more than that.
William Clark
1770 - 1838
In 1804, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis set out to explore the Louisiana Territory. The two men, along with their exploration party, spent two years traveling from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean and back.
York
1770? – 1832?
York traveled with Clark across the United States as the explorer’s servant. He quickly became popular with the Native Americans who had never met an African American. York helped the explorers become familiar with the natives along their journey.
Sacajawea
1787? – 1812?
Sacajawea was allowed to join Lewis and Clark’s exploration team because she could communicate with other Native Americans. She was only 16 when she joined the expedition.
Maria Tallchief
1925 -
Maria Tallchief was a Prima Ballerina of the New York City Ballet for a number of years. She also promotes her Native American culture. In 1996, she was recognized by the National Woman’s Hall of Fame for these achievements.
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