Thomas Jefferson: As Cunning As A... Black-Tailed Prairie Dog?

President Jefferson

     After reading chapter 7, I came to a realization that there is more to Thomas Jefferson than meets the eye. Much like George Washington, Jefferson is held in high esteem by not only Americans, but people who seek freedom all over the word. And rightly he should be. However, when we look at his presidential race against John Adams, we see a cunning, even conniving, side to the brilliant author of the Declaration of Independence. But, as we see in chapter 7, that is not the only evidence that we have that Jefferson is not always above reproach. As Andrea Wulf points out, the Lewis and Clark expedition was about more than it was portrayed to be. Knowing that a scientific expedition would be hard to sell to Congress because of its lack of a Constitutional foundation, he told them instead that it was for the purpose of exploring commercial opportunities. And to a certain degree, that was true. But not entirely. The expedition was chartered to satisfy Jefferson's scientific mind. Which brings me to the black-tailed prairie dog.

A black-tailed prairie dog "jump-yipping"

     One of the species discovered on the Lewis and Clark expedition, the black-tailed prairie dog seems to be a perfectly normal creature. However, after very basic research, it turns out it is nothing but normal. Evidently, scientists that have studied this particular prairie dog have found that they have developed a sort of language that alerts other prairie dogs in the area when a predator is approaching. This seems to be almost an adorable trait until I realized the darker intentions. Apparently, when one prairie dog alerts the others, their response is to stand up in order to see the predator, allowing the first prairie dog to flee while the predator is attracted to the others.

     I found it interesting that much like the black-tailed prairie dog, Thomas Jefferson's methods and attitudes were not always as benign as they seemed. In fact, he was sometimes very cunning, very sneaky. That is not to say that he was somehow a lesser man than we usually imagine, but it is good to keep in mind that our Founders were not perfect. While Jefferson was well-intentioned, he was not always truthful and sometimes was quite underhanded. Just like the black-tailed prairie dog.