Reasons For The Assassination Of Meriwether Lewis

Up until now, historians haven’t been able to deduce Meriwether Lewis’ death. Lewis’ closest friends – Thomas Jefferson and William Clark – dismissed his death as a suicide, but some historical accounts claim that Lewis’ death could possibly be more than just a suicide. Meriwether Lewis (1774 – 1809) was an American Explorer, soldier, and politician who was famed for leading the Lewis and Clark Expedition (also sometimes referred to as the Corps of Discovery Expedition) along with his companion, William Clark. Lewis grew up in Albermarle County, Virginia (present day Ivy, Virginia) on August 1874, and was the second child and first son of William and Lucy Meriwether Lewis. Meriwether Lewis was also a trusted friend of President Thomas Jefferson

The question is: why would Lewis’ close friends, Jefferson, assassinate him? What was his motive? As reported by Chandler, the victim – Meriwether Lewis – was suspected to have found hidden secrets about General Wilkinson (who was his predecessor) that would have ultimately ruined not only his but President Jefferson’s reputation all together. The author believes that the reason why Lewis decided to travel all the way to Washington was to “blow the whistle.” In order to stop the shocking series of events to happen, President Jefferson had to stop him or “get rid” of him before the scandal would spread all over the country. Chandler also firmly believes that those who helped Lewis’ (Major Russel, Major Neelly, etc.) in his last days may have played a role in the conspiracy as

Kira Gale, author of Meriwether Lewis: the Assassination of an American Hero and the Silver Mines of Mexico suggests that Lewis was most likely killed by political enemies that were planned by General James Wilkinson. Like Meriwether Lewis, General Wilkinson had financial problems of his own – he fell promptly into debt. However, he was able to find another way to make money: he became a spy.[1] Wilkinson would send American secrets to the Spanish Empire and in return, the Spanish Empire would pay him. He would send in his information through codes, and through these coded communications were information about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Gale believes that Lewis was carrying papers that included knowledge about Wilkinson’s treachery to the country. Naturally, General James Wilkinson had to stop him before anyone else could find out. Gale has also said that James Wilkinson had a history of assassinating, or at least attempt assassination of his rivals. Andro Linklater, author of An Artist in Treason, says that he often got away with a lot of his problems as well. A lot of people had suspected him of passing on information to the Spanish – including prominent leaders from Washington to Madison had suspected him of his betrayal. Nevertheless, people still chose to believe him, having this advantage, got away from his