Civil War
New Perspective on the Death of Meriwether Lewis
Presented by:
Thomas Danisi
Publish Date:
October 22, 2009
Presentation Length:
36 minutes 59 seconds (36:59)
Description:
Meriwether Lewis, leader of the Corps of Discovery, lived only a few years after his famous expedition, and October 11, 2009 marked the bicentennial of his sudden, mysterious death. Thomas Danisi utilizes original Lewis and Clark documents and previously unexamined sources to reveal new information about the character and life of Meriwether Lewis. Instead of focusing on the legendary journey, he concentrates on Lewis's life before the trip and the post-expedition challenges he faced as governor of the Louisiana Territory. After addressing both the conspiracy theories regarding murder as the cause of his death and the longstanding belief that he committed suicide, Danisi proposes a new theory about Lewis's untimely death.
