Original subtitles

[male narrator] Previously on "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.."

[intense music]

Brave pioneers like Daniel Boone

blazed a trail into the wilderness..

...moving west to fulfill a dream.

They fought to forge a new nation..

...the United States of America.

Now, the young country

must hold its ground to survive.

[Zayde Wolf singing "Born Ready"]

♪ I've been the last one standing ♪

♪ When all the giants fell ♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa

♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa

♪ I won't shiver I won't shake ♪

♪ I'm made of stone I don't break ♪

♪ Staring at the pressure now

♪ I won't quit not backing down ♪

♪ I was born

♪ Born ready

♪ I was born

♪ Born ready

♪ Open my eyes turn me loose

♪ And you'll see why

♪ I was born

♪ Born ready ♪

[male narrator] The American Revolution has been over for nine years..

...but the frontier remains a war zone.

[dramatic music]

Like other Native American leaders

Shawnee war-chief, Tecumseh

has watched thousands of pioneers

surge into his homeland.

And now he's fighting back.

[Robert] The Americans continued to push the frontier.

The pressure was on the Indians

to move and get out of the way.

The frontiersmen were out there trying to scrape out

a living trying to get rich, taking land.

The Indians did what any person does

to defend your homeland and your life.

[gunshots]

[intense music]

[gunshots]

[tribesman howling]

[indistinct yelling]

[grunting]

[groans]

[grunting]

[male narrator] The Shawnee are one of over 20 tribes

in the Ohio Territory..

[cheering]

...part of the area surrendered by the British

in the Treaty of Paris

which ended the American Revolution.

But it's land that Native Americans

have claimed for generations.

[David] The key provision of the Treaty of Paris

is that the British have to leave the Midwest

giving this huge territory

over to the Americans.

But you still have, of course, the Native American tribes

who were not party to the treaty

and who were not about to just accept all these Americans

flooding over the Appalachian Mountains.

[male narrator] Tecumseh spent his whole life fighting American expansion.

He was raised by legendary Shawnee warrior

Chief Blackfish, who died fighting as a British ally

during the Revolution.

[Amy] Tecumseh's childhood was nothing short of traumatic.

In the attacks by whites

he lost his father and his infant brother

at a very early age.

He was constantly moving

to try to avoid attack.

At the age of ten, he was taken in to Blackfish's family

and treated as a foster son.

And then the loss of Blackfish

was the loss of yet another father figure

and yet another hero.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] Determined to force settlers out of Ohio

Tecumseh joins warriors from over a dozen tribes

in guerilla attacks along the frontier.

Over the next year

2500 Americans are killed.

In one attack alone, Native American warriors

wipe out 1000 local militiamen.

Native people see

the United States as weak, militarily.

In native people's minds, they could defeat the Americans

and take control of Ohio again.

[male narrator] By 1793

the flow of settlers grinds to a halt

creating a crisis in the nation's capital.

[indistinct chatter]

President George Washington is starting his second term

and the government owes over 75 million dollars

to France, Spain and the Netherlands..

...nations that helped finance the Revolutionary War.

Washington's plan to pay it off

hinges on settlers buying frontier land.

Each acre costs one dollar

and the government has

a 160 million acres to sell.

[David] The only hope to get out of these massive debts

is to sell those lands in the west.

But, the Native American people there, uh, were not about

to accept all these Americans flooding over the Appalachians.

And they attack.

Well, this now starts to inhibit

the sale of all these lands

that the federal government is counting on

to balance their budget.

[male narrator] Four years earlier, Washington commissioned

the nation's first professional army.

Now he sends over 2000 troops to the Ohio Territory

to crush Native American resistance

and reopen the frontier to land sales.

[Yohuru] Washington recognizes that the bloodshed has to stop.

It compels Washington to send troops

to provide a barrier of protection

for American settlers in the region

and, in some sense, to encourage people

to continue to move out into the frontier

which everyone understood at that point

would be the future of the United States.

[male narrator] Among the army's officers

is a man who will one day be president..

...William Henry Harrison.

William Henry Harrison was a very ambitious man.

And he saw the west as a stepping stone

to reach national stature and leadership.

[male narrator] One of Harrison's officers is a young lieutenant

who in just 12 years will help lead one of

the greatest expeditions in American history.

His name is William Clark.

His brother fought with Daniel Boone in the revolution

and now he's determined

to make a name for himself.

[Clay] William Clark was the younger brother

of a very famous man, George Rogers Clark.

George Rogers Clark had played this really important role

in America's successful Revolutionary War in the west.

All of his life, William had been comparing himself

to his older and famous brother.

He wanted to prove his own worth.

[male narrator] The army's mission is clear.

Eradicate the Native American threat.

But the resistance has grown to 1500 warriors

from dozens of tribes..

...including Tecumseh's Shawnee.

And they've been secretly tracking

the army through Ohio.

[dramatic music]

[shouts in foreign language]

[gunshots]

Return fire!

[gunshot]

[indistinct yelling]

[groans]

[grunting]

[grunting]

Fall back!

[breathing heavily]

[indistinct yelling]

[grunting]

[man screaming]

[indistinct yelling]

[grunting]

[male narrator] On the northwestern edge of modern-day Ohio..

[groaning]

...William Henry Harrison

and the US Army brigade sent by George Washington

to secure the frontier

are under a surprise attack

by native warriors, including Tecumseh.

Fall back!

Fall back!

[indistinct yelling]

Lieutenant William Clark

regroups his men for a counter strike.

Fix bayonets.

'On my command.'

[indistinct yelling]

Charge!

[dramatic music]

[screaming]

[grunting]

Fire!

'Fire!'

It's the largest US Army force

Native Americans like Tecumseh have faced in battle.

Fire!

It turns into a bloodbath.

[shouting in foreign language]

[dramatic music]

[grunts]

Overwhelmed and outnumbered

the Native Americans retreat.

[Amy] The battle was something of a turning point.

The natives had a sense of hope.

They believed that they were in a position of power

in comparison to the US.

And here they realize that is not the case.

[male narrator] The conflict will become known

as the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

And it changes the balance of power on the frontier.

Within a year..

...at Fort Greenville in western Ohio..

...the victorious Harrison finalizes a peace treaty

with the Native American leaders.

Convinced they can't defeat the powerful US Army

over a dozen tribes surrender their lands

in the Ohio Territory..

...opening 25,000 square miles

to peaceful settlement.

But some tribes refuse to accept defeat.

[Donald] Tecumseh did not sign the Treaty of Greenville

because this was the land, his home space

that his people had always had

that his, his father gave his life for

that his older brother gave his life for.

If he was going to sign with anything

he was gonna sign with his own blood.

[male narrator] Tecumseh retreats beyond the Ohio River..

...to plan his next move.

[intense music]

Over the next decade..

...42,000 pioneers

take advantage of the new-found peace

streaming into modern-day Ohio and Indiana

to carve out a new life on the frontier.

The people that went to the frontier

were people that wanted a new life.

[Bill] They wanted to make some money.

They wanted to get land.

One thing that characterizes this country

is that we like the idea of charting our own destiny

and that was the frontier for so many Americans.

[male narrator] With the frontier seemingly at peace

many Americans feel confident.

But in Washington

newly-elected president, Thomas Jefferson

isn't convinced.

He sees a young nation

surrounded by powerful empires hungry for land.

France to the south, Spain to the southwest

and the biggest threat of all, Great Britain to the north.

[Brands] When the British acknowledged American independence

they did so with an understanding

that they still intended to be influential.

And they still had designs

on the western part of North America.

And they were very suspicious

of the emergence of the United States.

[male narrator] Jefferson believes there's only

one way to protect America.

Expand.

[David] Jefferson has a vision

for the future of America.

And his idea is that

in order for America to be a free and independent country

it's gotta be a country of independent land owners.

And in order for that to happen, it's gotta spread.

[Clay] When Jefferson looked west, he saw empty space.

He saw a sort of blank slate.

He didn't want to share America

with old-world powers like France and Spain and Britain.

So he wanted, effectively pave the way

for America's control of the entire American continent

between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

[male narrator] To realize his vision

Jefferson takes a huge risk.

In the spring of 1803

he secretly negotiates with Napoleon

to buy the French port of New Orleans.

[Brands] Jefferson understood that whoever controlled New Orleans

controlled the Mississippi Valley.

To his surprise, the French government said

"Why don't you take the rest of Louisiana?"

Jefferson had not gone out looking for Louisiana.

Napoleon essentially dropped it in Jefferson's lap.

[male narrator] Known as the Louisiana Purchase

this vast tract of land costs 15 million dollars.

About 250 million today.

It stretches from the Mississippi to the Rockies

and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada

doubling America's size overnight.

The Louisiana Purchase was the greatest real-estate deal

in the history of the world, not just in American history.

[Bill] And Thomas Jefferson had the boldness

to run quickly and make that deal.

[male narrator] But not everyone sees the value

of the Louisiana Purchase.

Jefferson's enemies said, "The President is buying land

that we don't require, with money that we don't have."

But Jefferson realized two things

a great bargain when he saw it

and that this was probably the most important moment

thus far in American history.

[male narrator] The president has a plan

to prove his doubters wrong.

He'll send an expedition

to explore the new land.

But he won't stop there.

His goal is to go all the way to the Pacific

and claim the western coast of the continent for America.

It took Jefferson, a man who never traveled

more than 50 miles west of his birthplace

to have the vision to do this thing

and to create what he called an "Empire for Liberty."

So this story is as important a foundation story

of American greatness as any other story we have.

[male narrator] President Thomas Jefferson has to explore

over 800,000 square miles of newly-purchased land

and find a trade route to the Pacific Ocean.

To lead the mission

Jefferson turns to his most trusted aide

an old family friend named Meriwether Lewis.

Send this out right away.

Thomas Jefferson had known Meriwether Lewis' father.

He had known Meriwether Lewis

since he was a child, practically.

[Robert] He served as President Thomas Jefferson's

private secretary for two years.

Thomas Jefferson knew

Meriwether Lewis was a very intelligent person

and he knew that Meriwether Lewis

would understand what his objectives were.

And he certainly expected him to carry those out.

[male narrator] For Lewis, it's the opportunity of a lifetime..

...one that comes despite a troubled past.

[grunting]

While serving in the army, a series of barroom brawls

earns young Lewis a court martial..

...and a transfer to a remote outpost in the Ohio Territory.

His commander, William Clark

a hero from the Battle of Fallen Timbers

and a man who will alter the course of his life.

I will not tolerate any fighting

amongst the men under my command.

Is that clear?

Yes, sir.

You're dismissed.

[Clay] Lewis' father died when he was just a boy.

It's possible to see Lewis

as searching for, perhaps, a father figure

or a figure of stability in his life.

And I think Clark immediately recognized

that Lewis was extremely intelligent

but that he also was troubled in some essential way.

[instrumental music]

[male narrator] Under Clark, Lewis learns structure and discipline

and he rises through the military ranks.

By 1800, he's promoted to captain.

[Clay] Clark had an enormous stabilizing effect

on Meriwether Lewis.

And from that moment on

they formed a-a very close friendship.

Clark was always the older brother

who was doing what he could

to calm down his mercurial friend

and to keep him on task.

[male narrator] In 1801, Lewis is called to the White House.

Now, two years later

he prepares for the most ambitious expedition

in the young nation's history

exploring the newly-acquired Louisiana Territory.

The Missouri could possibly lead

all the way to the western coast.

Look.

[male narrator] Lewis spends nearly a year

learning everything he can about the frontier.

Jefferson has one of the world's best libraries

and he gives Lewis a crash course

in geography and science.

[Clay] Jefferson helped him to learn latitude and longitude.

Lewis worked with America's most famous botanist.

He learned something about medicine.

And so in the, in the course of a couple of months

Lewis got a smattering of all of the enlightenment arts

that an explorer ought to have.

[male narrator] But despite their preparations

neither Lewis nor Jefferson can predict

what the expedition might face.

[Robert] The middle part of the continent

was completely a blank map.

They didn't know what was out there.

No Americans, no Europeans

had been across that part of the continent.

And Jefferson, in fact, thought there were dinosaurs out there.

[intense music]

[male narrator] In May 1804

Lewis arrives in Missouri

the staging ground for his expedition

and is reunited with the mentor

he handpicked for the mission.

Captain Lewis.

Captain Clark.

A pleasure to see you again.

[Clay] Clark recognized that Lewis was a genius.

He was asked almost at the last minute to join Lewis.

He was quite happy to do so.

He wanted to be a part of the great, heroic crossing

of the continent.

Careful, boys. Come on, two hands, two hands.

There we go. Good.

[Yohuru] Lewis and Clark

their strengths and strong qualities

complement each other.

Alright.

There could not have been a better duo

uniquely positioned to help lead America into that area.

[male narrator] Lewis and Clark will lead 45 men west

past the boundaries of known civilization.

They hope the Missouri River

will connect directly to the Pacific Ocean

but it's uncharted wilderness.

The map that Lewis and Clark took went to, like, St. Louis

and then was blank, blank, blank, blank, blank.

Move those to the front. Thank you.

[male narrator] Not knowing what dangers might lie ahead

the expedition amasses the largest arsenal

the frontier has ever seen.

Let's make sure these stay dry.

It was as brilliantly planned an expedition

as has ever been mounted by anybody.

[Clay] They had weapons, gunpowder, ball, lead

and they carried medicine.

The best estimate is that they were starting out

with about 60,000 pounds worth of gear.

[male narrator] On May 21st, 1804..

...Lewis and Clark begin their journey west.

I mean, to try to make it

all the way across our continent

and get to the Pacific Ocean

is similar to what Neil and Buzz had

on Apollo 11, possibly..

...going, uh, all the way to the surface of the moon.

[male narrator] Lewis and Clark have no idea what they'll find

or if they'll make it back alive.

[indistinct chatter]

[male narrator] President Thomas Jefferson has sent Lewis and Clark

on a mission to explore the Louisiana Territory..

...and find a route to the Pacific Ocean.

If they succeed, it will open up vast new areas

to American trade and settlement

and justify the boldest move of Jefferson's career.

Well, for Thomas Jefferson, he knew there was something

out there in our great land, but he didn't know what it was.

It was a gamble to send Lewis and Clark.

[male narrator] Their plan is to use the Missouri River

as a highway following it

as far west as possible.

In his greatest fantasy, Jefferson almost seems to see

a, a sort of interstate highway system of rivers

where there are no barriers, where you somehow can just

thread your way across the continent

with the greatest of ease. He should've known better.

[male narrator] By early winter 1804

Lewis and Clark are stalled in present-day North Dakota.

They've come less than a thousand miles

from St. Louis.

They build a shelter called Fort Mandan.

It attracts a handful of trappers and traders

venturing west.

[Clay] While they were at Fort Mandan

there were also British and French traders

who were embedded amongst the Mandan.

And so they were asking questions

of anybody they could find

what-what they should expect.

[male narrator] They soon learn that further travel by water is impossible

and they'll have to continue overland.

Then, in November..

...they meet a French-Canadian trapper and his wife

a 17-year-old Shoshone

named Sacagawea.

Sacagawea was incredibly important

to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

[Kathleen] She could be an ambassador for them

somebody who could talk to the local Indians

and, uh, tell them what Lewis and Clark were doing there.

And having a woman and especially a woman with a baby

with your party

was a universal sign that you came in peace.

[male narrator] With new plans in place

Lewis and Clark wait out the winter in North Dakota.

Over a thousand miles away

settlers continue to pour into Native American lands

in the Ohio Territory.

With them comes the spread of a deadly disease..

...smallpox.

And it hits Tecumseh's Shawnee tribe hard.

[Amy] The smallpox epidemics

were a tremendous blow

to the Shawnees and to their neighbors.

There was, of course, widespread death

brought to a people who were already destabilized

by so many other factors.

[male narrator] Tecumseh had retreated to present-day Indiana

after his defeat by the US Army

at the Battle of Fallen Timbers..

...hoping to plot a new strategy

to resist America's western expansion.

But this unexpected crisis derails all his plans.

In spring 1805

Lewis and Clark follow their new guide, Sacagawea

into the wilderness.

They're trying to find an overland route to the Pacific.

If they succeed, they will open

the west to Jefferson's dream

and Tecumseh's worst fear..

...more settlers.

[upbeat music]

They've moved beyond any known map

charting new ones as they go.

They also identify over 300 new varieties

of plants and animals

completely changing what's known about wildlife

in North America.

[Brands] It was part of Jefferson's plan

to make this a scientific expedition.

Jefferson had always been curious about the frontier.

He was curious about lots of things

including the flora and the fauna of the frontier

things that he hadn't seen.

[Clay] Lewis and Clark spent literally hundreds of hours

taking down data

and making repeated observations.

Latitude, longitude, descriptions of animals

descriptions of plants, mineral samples.

Lewis discovered a 122 animals.

The big-horned sheep and the grizzly bear

and the pronghorn antelope.

Clark was working by dead reckoning

and he produced a stunningly accurate map

of the American West.

This was a very rich expedition of discovery.

[male narrator] But it's a journey full of peril.

[Steven] If you want to get a sense for how mysterious

the western lands were

to the Lewis and Clark expedition

consider that they felt

that it was a very real possibility

that they would run in to wooly mammoths along the way.

That was as strange to them

as it would be for you or me

to step foot on planet Mars.

[Clay] When Lewis left on April 7th, 1805

they were entering into an extremely hazardous land.

Gonna be a long journey, maybe a fatal one.

And they were all alone, essentially vulnerable

in the midst of the wilderness.

[dramatic music]

ored American wilderness..

...beyond the edge of any known map..

...Lewis and Clark are ambushed by an unknown tribe.

They're badly outnumbered and have no choice

but to trust their 17-year-old guide, Sacagawea.

[speaking in foreign language]

[speaking in foreign language]

[Clay] This was without question

the most tense moment

of the entire expedition.

Lewis and Clark spoke English only

and she's now having this conversation.

They were very frightened, maybe she was leading them

into an ambush, maybe something worse.

[speaking in foreign language]

Sacagawea.

[male narrator] By sheer coincidence

the tribal leader is Sacagawea's long-lost brother.

[Clay] She was born Shoshone

out on the Montana-Idaho border.

At about the age of 11 or so

she was captured by a Hidatsa raiding party

had been gone for many years

was presumably never coming back.

Suddenly, here she is

in the presence of these white strangers

and she looked at this man

and recognized him to be her brother.

That's sort of like a Shoshone miracle.

[male narrator] Lewis and Clark are welcomed by the Shoshone

and Sacagawea helps broker trade.

Now that the expedition has to travel overland

they need horses.

[Robert] The greatest thing that she may have done

for the expedition was helping

to solidify that relationship

because the Shoshone then sold Lewis and Clark 28 horses.

At that point, Lewis and Clark offered to leave her behind

with her birth people, the Shoshone

but she chose to go on with them.

I think that she felt

that she was part of something bigger

than anything else that she could have

imagined in her life.

[male narrator] Lewis and Clark continue west

determined to fulfill Jefferson's mission

to reach the Pacific.

Further east, in the Indiana Territory

the smallpox epidemic continues

with devastating effect..

...killing thousands of Shawnee.

I mean, what happens to a culture

what happens to a society

when 80% of the people die out?

[Robert] This was a disaster for the Shawnee

and they became very weak.

[Amy] There was confusion, there was despair.

It bred

a kind of religious mania

a search for the answer

why these people were being judged in this way.

[male narrator] A path forward comes from a surprising source

Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa.

[speaking in foreign language]

[speaking in foreign language]

[Amy] Tecumseh's younger brother was the family embarrassment.

He was clumsy, he was not known for his physical courage.

He was an alcoholic.

And that was when his life turned around.

[speaking in foreign language]

[Amy] He had a kind of spiritual vision

and he believed that he was

the embodiment of the message

that would save the Shawnee people.

[male narrator] Tenskwatawa claims his vision

reveals the tribe's past and future.

Showing salvation lies in rejecting modern influences

and returning to traditional ways.

As word of his vision spreads..

...Native Americans from different, even warring tribes

come to hear him.

Tecumseh sees a strategic opportunity

in these unprecedented gatherings.

[speaking in foreign language]

Shawnee leader Tecumseh recognizes that

if the natives are to survive white incursion

they need to band together.

[speaking in foreign language]

[Donald] Tecumseh knew he could not lead his people

as just one Indian Nation.

He would have to build a larger Indian nation.

[male narrator] It's a strategy inspired by the example

of the United States itself.

As Tecumseh saw the different colonies come together

following the American Revolution

in seeing this new United States

and actually it begin to work, he thought

why not then a United Indian Nations?

Why not bring them together?

[male narrator] His goal, establish a sovereign

Pan-Indian Nation next door to the US.

From the Appalachian Mountains

to the Mississippi River.

[Amy] Never before had someone tried

to bring other native nations together

in a way that then could effectively stop

land cessions to the United States.

Tecumseh was at the forefront of this kind of movement

and it would change Native America forever.

[male narrator] To do it, Tecumseh launches

a diplomatic mission

traveling across the frontier

and recruiting an army.

[Amy] Tecumseh essentially went on tour.

He was face to face talking

about what it would mean to stand up

for their lands and for their ways of life

and for their identities.

He was a gifted orator.

[speaking in foreign language]

He won hearts and he won minds.

[male narrator] As his influence grows

word of Tecumseh's campaign spreads

creating growing concern

across frontier settlements.

The concept of a Pan-Indian alliance

struck fear in the American government

and the American public.

You have to remember

the American Revolution succeeded

because you had these different colonies..

...coming together and then working as a collective.

Theoretically, if Tecumseh is able to unite

the tribes in the Midwest, from the Mississippi Delta

all the way up to Minnesota

maybe they could defeat America.

[male narrator] With the future of the frontier at stake

Tecumseh's Pan-Indian alliance

prepares for war.

[male narrator] Lewis and Clark have spent a year

crossing a thousand miles of uncharted wilderness..

...to find a land route to the Pacific..

...and expand the American nation.

[instrumental music]

Now, they face a daunting obstacle..

...the Rocky Mountains.

They rise over 14,000 feet..

...stretching 3000 miles across the continent

and winter is closing in.

[Clay] Lewis and Clark had never seen anything

like the Rocky Mountains.

Their idea of mountains were the Appalachians

so they couldn't even begin

to understand what they were facing.

Not only were the mountains much higher

but Lewis said the western mountains were covered

with almost eternal snow and you couldn't see

from one end to the other end of the mountains.

[instrumental music]

[Robert] When Meriwether Lewis

sees 60 to 70 miles of snow-capped peaks

he must have been distraught.

He must have thought the expedition was over

and they had no chance of success.

[male narrator] Over 700 miles from the nearest settlement..

...Lewis and Clark can either turn back..

...or attempt to cross the mountains before winter.

For them, the choice is clear.

On September 1st

the expedition begins their ascent..

...embarking on the most dangerous leg

of their journey yet.

[Mark] Having been somebody who has flown in combat

as a Navy pilot, has been a test pilot

and an astronaut, you know, I think

when you're doing really hard things

inevitably there are

incredibly difficult roadblocks and challenges.

And I think if you're the type of person

that just kind of throws your hands up

and, and surrenders, uh, then you don't win.

My definition of courage would be somebody

who would be able to work hard towards an objective

that is inherently not good for their health.

[male narrator] With every peak they pass

the temperature drops by ten degrees.

[Mykel] When that cold sets in

you know, everything gets harder.

Your brain slows down, your body slows down

you need more energy to do things

there's less energy available, less food

less fire, and so what happens is

people start to crumble.

And if they don't keep moving

if they don't find the will

they're just plain dead.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] Their pace slows to just ten miles a day.

And at high altitude, there's no game

so they're forced to eat their pack horses to survive.

A team of men like Lewis and Clark

traveling forward through rugged terrain

and especially in cold weather

requires an enormous amount of food.

The human body in those conditions

needs from 2000 to 4000 calories per day.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] Nearly two weeks after entering the Rockies..

...the expedition has depleted its food supply..

...and is forced to eat candles

made from animal fat to stay alive.

[instrumental music]

After 28 days of grueling hardship..

...Lewis and Clark clear the Rockies..

...and head toward the Pacific.

[Aron] In order to continue pushing

they had to have some other motivation.

It's not really about the food

or about the chance of-of surviving or not.

It was a sense of, of duty, of mission.

[male narrator] One month later

the expedition reaches the Columbia River

in modern-day Oregon.

And then, on November 15th, 1805..

...after traveling more than 4000 miles..

...Lewis and Clark finally reach the Pacific.

[David] It's almost mind-boggling to think

of the challenges that they faced.

And that these individuals were doing it

for months on end

living off the land, uh

living by their own self-reliance.

[instrumental music]

[Bill] Lewis and Clark deserve credit

as the greatest expeditioners

in certainly American history

that brought America new territory

and a new identity as a country.

[male narrator] The Lewis and Clark expedition is the first

to cross the North American continent overland.

[instrumental music]

They build a fort near the coastline

in the Oregon Territory

proudly claiming the land for the US.

Congratulations, captain.

[Clay] Lewis and Clark had wanted the world to know

that we had been there.

This just wasn't boasting.

This was also claiming the country

on which they had built this temporary compound.

This was the first and most significant gesture

for what became the completion of the American continent.

[music continues]

[male narrator] But Great Britain also has interests

in the Pacific Northwest

and sees this American fort

as an act of aggression.

[instrumental music]

In March 1806

after establishing a fort on the Pacific Coast..

...and fulfilling Thomas Jefferson's vision

for expanding the nation..

...Lewis and Clark begin

their 4000-mile journey home.

[Clay] When Jefferson heard that Lewis and Clark

had crossed the continent successfully, he said

he read the news in Lewis' letter

with unspeakable joy.

He was vindicated in his belief

that the continent could be crossed

and that it could be mapped.

Lewis and Clark opened the west

to those frontiersmen who would follow

because once they described what was out there

then the unknown became partially known.

And from being partially known to being settled

was just one more step.

[indistinct chatter]

[male narrator] Great Britain sees this American expansion

as an immediate threat.

When Lewis and Clark raise the American flag

they were clearly beyond

the boundaries of the Louisiana purchase.

The Pacific is extremely important to Britain.

They have an active fur trade

on the West Coast, and it's threatened

by the coming of the Americans.

[male narrator] While the Pacific northwest

is technically unclaimed

the British are entrenched beyond the Canadian border

and they have a powerful interest

in dominating the fur trade here.

From 1800 to 1810

the British earned 2.8 million pounds from selling fur..

...the equivalent of $22 billion USD today.

The fur trade and especially the fur trade

to China in sea otter pelts

was probably the most lucrative

economic activity in the world at that time.

[male narrator] To keep the US out

Britain stirs up trouble on the American frontier

a tactic used during the Revolution.

[dramatic music]

[John] The British understood they were never going

to bring the United States back

into the British Empire as colonies.

But what they wanted to do is they wanted to protect Canada.

And the best way they saw of protecting Canada

and the Northwest was to create

a Native American buffer state at the frontier.

[male narrator] The British seek an alliance with a growing power

on the frontier...Tecumseh.

He now heads a force of 5000 warriors..

...and they invite him to meet.

[male #1] 'Thank you for meeting with us.'

Your people and mine, we have a common enemy.

'The Americans have taken your land'

'and now they want ours as well.'

Together, we can drive the Americans back.

[Amy] The British invite Tecumseh to Canada to talk

and many of their messages are familiar to him.

Don't trust the United States.

If Great Britain can re-establish control

then there will be a halt

to westward expansion.

But Tecumseh doesn't trust Great Britain.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] Confident in his power

Tecumseh rejects their offer

and continues building his alliance.

In 1808..

...he creates the first Pan-Indian village.

To honor his brother, he calls it Prophetstown.

For the first time ever

members of enemy tribes are living together.

Soon, Prophetstown has 3000 inhabitants

and grows larger every day.

[Stephen] Tecumseh's message traveled

far and wide by word of mouth

by runners through the woods.

And there were many native people

who traveled to Prophetstown because they wanted

to experience his power and his message first-hand.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] While Tecumseh forges his ground-breaking push

for Pan-Indian unity..

...the two men who led the great expedition west

return to St. Louis.

[David] At the time it was not considered

such a monumental moment.

The-the accounts of it

were not even published, uh, right away

and most congressmen didn't quite get

what it was all about.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] Lewis and Clark's paths will diverge

in the years to come.

[Yohuru] Clark does fairly well in the aftermath

of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

He is actually able to capitalize on the celebrity

and goes on to a very successful life.

[male narrator] Clark becomes a brigadier general in the Army

and then the first governor of the Missouri Territory.

He stays close to Sacagawea through the years.

And when she dies unexpectedly in 1812

Clark becomes legal guardian to her children.

[male narrator] While Clark prospers..

...the same can't be said for his partner.

[Yohuru] Meriwether Lewis' story in some sense is tragic

because despite what we now celebrate

as one of the greatest accomplishments

in American history

Lewis himself felt like a failure.

He hadn't been able to realize any material gain

or substantive material gain from all the work

that he and Clark had done.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] He never marries

and will continue to struggle

with alcohol and depression.

[Clay] A friend of a president

the leader of the most successful exploration

in American history and for whatever reason

his life just never quite gels

when he gets back.

And he felt it in a letter.

At one point he said, "I have never felt less like a hero

than I do at this moment."

[male narrator] In October 1809, isolated and alone

Meriwether Lewis takes his own life.

[intense music]

[male narrator] In the Indiana territory

Tecumseh's power and influence are growing.

And he goes on the offensive.

In August 1810, he demands to meet

with old adversary, William Henry Harrison

to negotiate the peaceful return of lands seized

after the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Now, governor of Indiana

Harrison agrees to the meeting

but his goals could not be more different.

Fire!

[gunshots]

[Amy] William Henry Harrison was committed

to the expansion of the west

putting land into white hands, into US hands.

And he was not scrupulous

in the way he pursued his goals.

[instrumental music]

Please, have a seat.

[music continues]

How can I help you and the Shawnee?

[speaking in foreign language]

[speaking in foreign language]

[male #2] I am not here for the Shawnee.

I am here on behalf

of the United Indian Nations.

You took our lands from us. We want them back.

I took nothing.

'I negotiated for those lands on behalf'

of the United States Government.

If you don't agree with the terms

then your quarrel is with the chiefs

who signed those treaties..

...not with me.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music][speaking in foreign language]

A time for war will soon come.

'But I did not come here today to fight.'

[music continues]

[Amy] Tecumseh left that first historic meeting

with William Henry Harrison as a realist

who appreciated

that there was going to be

no fair resolution

with the United States

and that conflict was coming.

[male narrator] Determined to win

the inevitable fight to come

Tecumseh doubles his efforts to recruit more warriors.

Knowing the Shawnee leader is absent..

...Harrison marches on his capital..

...Prophetstown.

[Amy] Harrison claims that he is going to be

coming to speak in goodwill to them.

But there's every evidence

that he's coming to attack.

He brings over a thousand men.

They are not in any way prepared

to defend themselves from attack.

[dramatic music]

You, follow him.

Still Harrison proceeds to destroy Prophetstown.

[clamoring]

[male narrator] Without orders from Washington

Harrison strikes, reducing the village to ashes.

[David] William Henry Harrison understands, uh

that eliminating Tecumseh will make him a national hero.

You get rid of Prophetstown while Tecumseh is away

and burn down their capital

and fill all of these Indian tribes

with dreaded fear.

[male narrator] To send a clear message

Harrison's men do more than destroy.

They commit acts of unspeakable horror.

He goes to the graves

at Prophetstown

orders his men to dig up the bodies

and mutilate the bodies

and leave the bodies where they lay.

This was unimaginable

psychological warfare.

[male narrator] Known as the Battle of Tippecanoe

it makes Harrison a national figure.

[instrumental music]

Within days, word of Prophetstown's destruction

reaches Tecumseh..

...enraging tribes across the frontier.

It lit a fire under the Native American Alliance

that Tecumseh was already building.

It fueled fury

toward Harrison and toward the United States.

[speaking in foreign language]

[male narrator] While rallying the Muscogee Nation

in December 1811

Tecumseh tells them his revenge will shake the Earth.

And the next night..

...his words seem to come true.

...Tecumseh's prophecy seems to come true.

[dramatic music]

[rumbling]

The entire frontier is rocked

by three consecutive earthquakes

estimated to be a 7.9 on the Richter scale.

Known as the New Madrid earthquakes

they're strong enough to be felt

in a half-dozen states.

[Amy] The New Madrid earthquakes were remarkable.

They had tremendous impact.

The Earth behaved in a way

that it hadn't before.

And so, this seemed to be

a supernatural

apocalyptic event.

And that being tied to Tecumseh and his message

gained even more mythical status

for him and for his entire movement.

[dramatic music]

[male narrator] Empowered by this sign

Tecumseh rallies yet more warriors to his cause.

To ensure victory

Tecumseh now seeks an alliance

with the United States' strongest enemy..

...the British.

[Yohuru] Tecumseh decides to align himself

and his coalition with the British

because he sees a strategic advantage

not only to end white settler incursion into native lands

but to ultimately be able to take their territory back.

[male narrator] Word of Tecumseh's alliance with Britain

soon reaches Washington

where President James Madison views it

as the latest in an escalating series

of British insults.

Madison believed the British were not treating

the United States with the respect

that the Americans believed that they deserved

as an independent sovereign country.

The British seized American vessels on the high seas

the British seized American sailors

the British armed and provoked

American Indians in the west.

We behold on the side of Great Britain..

...a state of war.

[applauding]

[male narrator] On June 18th, 1812

almost 30 years after winning its independence

the United States declares war

on Great Britain.

A lot of people called the war of 1812

the second war for American independence.

[male narrator] The president's first priority

is to send reinforcements to Fort Detroit

in current-day Michigan.

It's on the border of British Canada

and whoever controls it

controls the American frontier.

As 200 US troops move north..

...Tecumseh ambushes them with 24 warriors..

...and a clever attack plan.

[Amy] One of the hallmarks

of Tecumseh's military strategy

was repeatedly making enemies think

he had far more warriors

than he actually had.

He moved them around in such a way

making noise, kicking up dust

made it appear that his forces

were vastly superior in number.

[intense music]

[howling]

[footsteps approaching]

[howling]

[groaning]

[screaming]

[howling]

...they're ambushed by Tecumseh..

...and 24 warriors.

[screaming]

[dramatic music]

[yelling]

[dramatic music]

Even though he's vastly outnumbered

Tecumseh prevails.

And he turns his sights

to Fort Detroit itself.

[Walter] Detroit's pretty important because it's the gateway

to what's called Upper Canada.

Basically the area we know as Ontario today.

[John] Detroit was, uh, the administrative center

of The Great Lakes.

So, the control center

for the entire American west.

[intense music]

[male narrator] By 1812, Tecumseh is a legend across the frontier.

And terrified by his reputation

the soldiers manning the fort

give up without a fight.

[music continues]

[speaking in foreign language]

[John] Because the American commander at Detroit

was grossly incompetent

Tecumseh and his British allies

were able to take the American fort at Detroit

without firing a single shot.

[male narrator] With the American surrender

the British now control the most important fort

on the frontier.

[music continues]

After a lifetime of violence under US expansion..

...this is Tecumseh's chance for revenge.

Please.

[speaking in foreign language]

Tecumseh was dedicated not only to the ideal

of the Shawnee warrior, but to his own

standard of morality.

[intense music]

[male narrator] Tecumseh's choice is more than an act of mercy.

It's a strategic act of diplomacy.

[John] Tecumseh understood

that he was essentially fighting

a defensive war against the forces

of United States' expansionism.

He did not want to push the war

to the depths of barbarity and savagery

that would have made it impossible for him

to negotiate at a later time with the United States.

[male narrator] With the defeat at Fort Detroit..

...Britain claims the Michigan territory for the crown

and cements their alliance

with Tecumseh's Pan-Indian nation..

...news that alarms the US Government

and threatens the young country's future.

[male narrator] Next time..

...on "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.."

...in Tennessee, a young general named Andrew Jackson..

...vows to stop Britain

and her allies...at any cost.

- Ahh! - Come on, men!

Andrew Jackson was often thought of as the second coming

of George Washington.

George Washington wins independence

for the United States, Andrew Jackson

defends independence for the United States.

Fire!

[male narrator] He fights with famed frontiersman, Davy Crockett.

David Crockett looms huge in the notion

of what the American frontier was.

He became a symbol of possibility.

[male narrator] The fate of the United States

depends on this new generation of frontiersmen.

Do not test me.

[dramatic music]