The Lewis and Clark expedition is often remembered as a heroic journey across an untamed American West. But the real story was far larger—and far more complicated.
In This Vast Enterprise, Craig Fehrman reexamines the famous expedition through the people whose contributions, ambitions, and conflicts shaped its outcome. Alongside Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were soldiers, Native leaders, interpreters, enslaved people, and figures such as Sacajawea and York, whose roles have often been reduced or overlooked.
Drawing on extensive research and Native perspectives, Fehrman reveals a journey driven not only by exploration, but also by diplomacy, commerce, political ambition, territorial expansion, and survival. The expedition depended heavily on the knowledge and assistance of Native nations even as it helped accelerate American expansion into their lands.
Read the Instaread summary of This Vast Enterprise to discover the complicated human story behind one of America’s most celebrated expeditions.
