Hasan Davis

This is the story of York, the only African American and non-volunteer, on the Lewis and Clark expedition. York was forced to make the treacherous journey to the Pacific as the slave of Captain Clark. By some York was treated as just another slave. Others, namely the Native Americans, treated York as a great leader because his skin color was not white and was more similar to their own. York was also honored along the way when a set of islands were named after him. Although the rest of the men on the expedition were eventually rewarded with land and money, York was sent back to life as a slave. A wonderful account of what this expedition was like from a slaves perspective.… (more)

President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery Expedition (more popularly known as “The Lewis and Clark Expedition”) shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. He wanted to know just what the U.S. had purchased, and if the land contained a water route to the Pacific.

As the author explains in an introduction to this book, Captains Lewis and Clark recruited twenty-seven volunteers to join them on the mission. In addition, Captain Clark ordered York, his slave, to prepare for the trip. Hasan Davis observed:

“As property, York did not have a choice in whether he would volunteer for Jefferson’s dangerous mission. Slaves did not have choices.”

Thus, Davis writes, in May, 1804, Captains Lewis and Clark and twenty-eight men left from St. Louis, Missouri in three boats with the goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean.

There are many stories written about Lewis and Clark. Davis wanted to tell the story of the slave York. The author was assisted by the Louisville, Kentucky Filson Historical Society.

The author chose to tell the story in York’s voice, using modern language. He does not clarify the source of the text, but since it is presented as if it were excerpted from diary entries, it may have come from the accounts the other men kept during the trip.

Apparently, the Native Americans thought York was a leader or at least someone important, because of his skin color. Captain Clark began having York strip off his shirt and show off his muscular ability or do acrobatics for the Natives. The author writes, in York’s voice:

“My strength and the color of my skin - my ‘big medicine’ - were used by Captain Clark to persuade the Indians of America’s might.”

In July, 1805, Captain Clark named a group of islands after York - York’s Eight Islands:

“That name meant a great deal to me and made me believe that the captains valued my efforts. It let me dare hope that my future might be different.”

And yet, as the Author indicates in a note at the end, York was not freed by Clark after the mission, nor was he allowed to stay with his family when Clark moved to St. Louis. Davis notes:

“Ten years after the expedition returned, York was still enslaved by William Clark. Clark had ordered him beaten, jailed, and forced into hard labor in attempts to break York’s continued desire to be free.”

In an 1832 interview with Washington Irving, Clark claimed he had freed York and set him up in a business at which he failed. Then, according to Clark, York died of cholera while trying to return to Clark. There is no evidence for any of it.

What is clear is that York made a substantial and positive contribution to the Expedition, but like many men and women in history “behind the scenes” - especially black slaves, he received no credit for it. Hasan Davis says:

“This book is dedicated to all the unsung men and women whose stories have yet to be told but whose contributions to the building of America are indisputable.”

Illustrator Alleanna Harris brings her background in animation to bear in the use of a primitive style of art reminiscent of the period during which the story takes place. She is particularly expert at depicting facial expressions in a way that portrays mood and emotion, and at changing her palette to reflect transitions in the look of the country as the group heads West.

Evaluation: This is a great way to introduce kids to the story of Lewis and Clark and the exploration of the country from a different perspective than they are apt to get in history books. It’s a bit of a depressing story, but so is much of history. Readers will definitely have a lot to think about and discuss.… (more)