Meriwether Lewis was a man who traveled to the then unknown bought by President Jefferson from the French in 1803. After the expedition in 1806, on his way to Washington he was found dead, on October 11, 1809. Lewis was possibly killed by an assassination.
David Leon Chandler’s book The Jefferson Conspiracies: A president’s Role in Assassination of Meriwether Lewis, Chandler contended that Lewis was a victim of an assassination conspiracy set by Thomas Jefferson. Chandler believed that Lewis discovered certain secrets about James Wilkinson. If the secrets were revealed then they would destroy not only Wilkinson’s reputation but also President Jefferson’s. Chandler also believed that the real reason Lewis’ trip to Washington was to “ blow the whistle” or get rid of him. MAjor Neelly, Major Russell, and others were thought to be part of the conspiracy.
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After leaving his office in Louisiana, he went to the Chickasaw Indian agency to pick up Major Neelly. From there he went south to Natchez, Mississippi where the starting point of the Natchez path started. Then up north toward Ft. PIckering where he was stopped. Then his last destination was Grinder’s Stand. THe route he took made a loop around. It looks as like Lewis knew if someone was following him and was trying to kill him.
On the diagram of Grinder’s Stand, their house had no front with two room on each side and a kitchen in the back. Mrs. Grinder was staying in the outhouse with her family as said in her testimony. With no front door someone could sneak in the house and kill Lewis with him and Mrs. Grinder never knowing. Even when she heard the gunshot she was too scared to see where it came from also said in her
Lewis and Clark Expedition In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson handed over a small price of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana Territory, originally owned by France. After the treaty for the purchase was made, Jefferson issued an exploration of this new land. Jefferson ordered that his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, an intelligent and skilled man, be the leader of the expedition. As his personal assistant, Lewis selected the help of William Clark.
In this situation he thought it was best for him to go to D.C and meet with Jefferson and sell his journals. If Meriwether Lewis was on his way to riches why would he commit suicide? My claim supported by physical evidence from videos and a map of his death place prove that it was a murder by conspiracy.
But since then all records of the trial have disappeared. The messages that Lewis was carrying to Washington were in a code. Since the event the code has been deciphered and it seems there was a code for James Wilkinson but it was eradicated. Wilkinson was interviewed on his involvement with Lewis’s death but he was proven innocent.
Although it was very common for inns to kill and rob their guests, but there were many people who would’ve had motive to kill Lewis. He had made enemies because of his important placement in office, some of these enemies included James Wilkinson. The Lewis and Wilkinson rivalry was known to be bitter. Lewis had rejected Wilkinsons invitation to establish western territories. Jefferson had chosen Lewis over Wilkinson many times without Wilkinsons consent.
President George Washington set the foundation for the United States of America with the careful judgement towards a Proclamation of Neutrality as an act of foreign policy while a more controversial Whiskey Rebellion served as an act of domestic policy during the late 18th century. The presidency further developed from John Adams and extended down the early 19th century with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. The early presidents all faced different foreign and domestic challenges which either met up with the views of Washington or were changed from his ideas into the current presidents own following towards a successful United States. George Washington developed a major responsibility with his position as the first leader
Meriwether Lewis was murdered by conspiracy because the pistol that was used was hard to use and control, you needed all of your power to be able to shoot it. There was also 3 different testimonies given from the same person that were all different which questions everything and there is physical evidence that shows where he was shot and how he couldn’t have done it to himself.
Chances are, you have heard of Meriwether Lewis whether you know who he is or not. Meriwether Lewis is mostly known for traveling out west with William Clark, Sacagawea, and York. This expedition helped him to become closer with the president, Thomas Jefferson, and become his assistant and friend. This relationship eventually led to him becoming the governor of the Louisiana Territory and may have also led to his death. On the night of his death, Lewis was traveling back to D.C. to take care of some debts when he stopped at Grinder’s Stand to rest.
Though Mr. Grinder was not home, his wife was, and she offered the travelers room and board. By sunrise the next morning, the 35-year-old former explorer was dead. Meriwether Lewis was asked by President Thomas Jefferson in 1801 to act as his private secretary. Jefferson soon made Lewis another offer to lead an expedition into the lands west of the Mississippi, which he did after enlisting William
Conspiracy murder, suicide or Murder Meriwether Lewis had people that were jealous of his success and position as governor of Louisiana Territory. He was traveling to Washington to resolve unpaid bills from his governorship and to publish his famous journals. Meriwether’s partner was William Clark. There was also a rumor that he had secret documents that may have implicated others in treason. Meriwether Lewis died at the Grinder’s stand at the age of 35.
Meriwther Lewis suffered from depression, dementia, and had a history of alcoholism. Meriwether Lewis committed suicide. People have had multiple claims as to the reasoning of why Meriwether Lewis committed suicide. One being, “He was subject to periodic spells of depression and overwhelmed by personal problems after the expedition” (Suicide Theories). And another being, “He had a debilitating physical disease that caused both his mind and body to deteriorate” (Sucide Theories).
In this office, he advocated or publicly recommend or support, for each state to pay its own portion of the Revolutionary War debt and supported France in its war with Britain, though he believed the United States should maintain neutral in the conflict. In 1803 as President of the United States, Jefferson purchased more than 800,000 square miles of Louisiana Territory from France for about $15 million, effectively doubling the size of the United States this was an important contribution of Thomas Jefferson. Having just greatly increased the size of the United States, Jefferson wanted to explore both the new part of the country and the rest of the continent. He appointed as his secretary Meriwether Lewis, who then enlisted William Clark. They left on their journey in 1804 with the goals of learning more about the landscape and the Native American tribes, and to finding a water passage between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean.
Thomas Jefferson’s Instructions to Meriwether Lewis discussed the appointment of Lewis as commander of the expedition, gave specific details of the purpose of the exploration, and provided directions for Lewis to follow when carrying out the trip. Thomas Jefferson carefully selected his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to be the commander of the Expedition and trusted that he would be able to perform the tasks assigned to him. Jefferson requested that an abundant amount of precise notes be taken and that they be protected at all costs. He was interested in learning about the people occupying the land, their culture, the ecosystems, and the land. In addition to note taking, treating the Native Americans with respect and peace was important
This shows us that someone else killed Lewis and Neely was with Lewis when he died, and Neely works for an enemy of Lewis, Wilkinson, making murder by conspiracy
How did Meriwether Lewis Die? Meriwether Lewis was an army officer who was told by Thomas Jefferson to lead the journey of traveling through the new Louisiana territory with William Clark. When he came back from the journey he was rewarded with the role as governor of the Louisiana territory. Close to the day of his death he traveled to Washington D.C. because he was hoping to resolve issues about the denied payment drafts which he made against the war department while he was serving as the governor which was leaving him in debt.
He was going to Washington to give Jefferson secret codes. I think that Meriwether Lewis died by conspiracy because all the reason it would be suicide don’t add up like how could he shoot part of his skull off where you can see his brain and still have life to shoot himself in the stomach. On October 11, 1809 Lewis died of two gunshot wounds one to the head and one to the stomach. At first the death was ruled a suicide.