Today is the anniversary of the day William Clark acquired a slave named York. York went on to become one of the most famous slaves in American History.
The most popular member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was Clark’s black slave York. York was inherited by Clark when Clark’s father died. The two had been playmates as children and had a close personal relationship. He went on the expedition as Clark’s “body servant”, but quickly became an equal member of the expedition. He even got to vote when the members voted on what to do. He was the only African-American on the expedition and thus became the first black to cross the West to reach the Pacific Ocean. He proved to be a good hunter. He was particularly valuable when they began encountering Indians. The Native Americans were fascinated with his skin color since they had never seen a black man. Daring braves would approach him, wet their thumbs and try to wipe the black off his skin. Others really wanted to touch his curly hair. Quickly realizing the shock value of the black man, Clark would have him “perform” as a scary monster or a dancing clown. Very strong, he could life Indian men over his head. Indian women found him very attractive. When they were at Indian villages, York did not spend any lonely nights. Unfortunately, when the Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis, York was not given his freedom, even though it was a common practice to manumit slaves who had performed valuable services. He and Clark had a falling out (possibly due to York’s nagging about wanting freedom), so Clark loaned him out to another slaveholder. Eventually, he was set free sometimes between 1811-1815. He apparently failed at business and died of cholera in 1832. It was a sad life after the heights of the expedition, but at least history now recognizes his unique contribution.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/york-explored-west-lewis-and-clark-his-freedom-wouldnt-come-until-decades-later-180968427/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_(explorer)
0 Comments