Jefferson’s America: The President, the Purchase, and the Explorers Who Transformed a Nation

Fenster (FDR’s Shadow), a specialist in 19th-century American history, details the political strategies behind President Thomas Jefferson’s decision to dispatch teams of explorers to the vast lands west of the Mississippi River. During Jefferson’s administration, the U.S. confronted major threats from the global superpowers of that time—Britain, Spain, and France—all of whom wished to carve up the weak, newly independent nation. A major part of Jeffersonian strategy consisted of using citizen explorers—most of whom were personally recruited old friends and outlaws, including Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, George Hunter, William Dunbar, Thomas Freeman, Peter Custis, and Zebulon Pike—to take possession of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. By avoiding the burden of deploying of a large military force to the territory, Jefferson skirted political opposition and found a means to “absorb” the West without provoking the European powers. The dangerous expeditions were plagued with disease, attacks by Native Americans, natural disasters, crew mutinies, and peril from rival nations. Fenster skillfully profiles the “Men of Jefferson” who were selected to spearhead the exploration efforts, but it’s the wily, resourceful Jefferson who steals the show with his ambitious vision, ability to gauge foreign opposition, and advantageous use of the federal treasury to support his missions. Agent: Joëlle Delbourgo, Joëlle Delbourgo Associates. (May)