Go West Young Man!

There is so much interesting history in this country’s early years….my favorite period is 1760-1812…..during this period we had a revolution, a VP treason, the birth if a small republic….but the most interesting was the timely trek of Lewis and Clark…..

Time for high adventure….after the purchase of the Louisiana territory from France….Pres. Jefferson sent an expedition to explore our newly acquired land.

There were many conspiracies around this trip…..looking for Welsh speaking native Americans…..but the main reason (stated) was the search for a Northwest Passage……

Such a passage — a river or series of connected rivers that would cross the western mountains and reach the Pacific Ocean — would have allowed more direct commerce with the Orient. Thomas Jefferson believed the discovery of the northwest passage would break open the wealth of North America.

Source: Lewis and Clark . Inside the Corps . Circa 1803 | PBS

But on a dark note of history…..Lewis never made it back to DC he died on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi Territory……and the story smacks of a conspiracy…..for those interested….

Source: THE DEATH OF MERIWETHER LEWIS — SUICIDE OR MURDER?

Source: Who killed Meriwether Lewis? – Salon.com

A small reminder of our early history…history is almost always more interesting and intriguing than the stuff we are taught…….

Class Dismissed!