The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Empire of Liberty - full transcript

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

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.

Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa

The American Revolution has
been over for nine years..

...but the frontier
remains a war zone.



Like other
Native American leaders

Shawnee war-chief, Tecumseh

has watched
thousands of pioneers

surge into his homeland.

And now he's fighting back.

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.

The Shawnee are one of
over 20 tribes

in the Ohio Territory..



...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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

By 1793

the flow of settlers
grinds to a halt

creating a crisis
in the nation's capital.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Return fire!

Fall back!

On the northwestern edge
of modern-day Ohio..

...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!

Lieutenant William Clark

regroups his men
for a counter strike.

Fix bayonets.

'On my command.'

Charge!

Fire!

'Fire!'

It's the largest US Army force

Native Americans like
Tecumseh have faced in battle.

Fire!

It turns into a bloodbath.

Overwhelmed and outnumbered

the Native Americans retreat.

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.

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.

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.

Tecumseh retreats
beyond the Ohio River..

...to plan his next move.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jefferson believes there's only

one way to protect America.

Expand.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And Thomas Jefferson
had the boldness

to run quickly
and make that deal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

For Lewis, it's the
opportunity of a lifetime..

...one that comes
despite a troubled past.

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.

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.

Under Clark, Lewis learns
structure and discipline

and he rises
through the military ranks.

By 1800,
he's promoted to captain.

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.

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.

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.

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.

But despite their preparations

neither Lewis nor Jefferson
can predict

what the expedition might face.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lewis and Clark have no idea
what they'll find

or if they'll
make it back alive.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

But it's a journey
full of peril.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sacagawea.

By sheer coincidence

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

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.

Lewis and Clark
are welcomed by the Shoshone

and Sacagawea
helps broker trade.

Now that the expedition
has to travel overland

they need horses.

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.

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?

This was a disaster
for the Shawnee

and they became very weak.

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.

A path forward comes
from a surprising source

Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa.

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.

He had a kind of
spiritual vision

and he believed that he was

the embodiment of the message

that would save
the Shawnee people.

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.

Shawnee leader Tecumseh
recognizes that

if the natives are to survive
white incursion

they need to band together.

Tecumseh knew he could not
lead his people

as just one Indian Nation.

He would have to build
a larger Indian nation.

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?

His goal, establish a sovereign

Pan-Indian Nation
next door to the US.

From the Appalachian Mountains

to the Mississippi River.

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.

To do it, Tecumseh launches

a diplomatic mission

traveling across the frontier

and recruiting an army.

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.

He won hearts and he won minds.

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.

With the future
of the frontier at stake

Tecumseh's Pan-Indian alliance

prepares for war.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With every peak they pass

the temperature drops
by ten degrees.

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.

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.

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.

After 28 days
of grueling hardship..

...Lewis and Clark
clear the Rockies..

...and head
toward the Pacific.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Lewis and Clark expedition is the first

to cross the North American
continent overland.

They build a fort
near the coastline

in the Oregon Territory

proudly claiming the land
for the US.

Congratulations, captain.

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.

But Great Britain
also has interests

in the Pacific Northwest

and sees this American fort

as an act of aggression.

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.

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.

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.

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.

To keep the US out

Britain stirs up trouble
on the American frontier

a tactic used
during the Revolution.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

While Tecumseh forges
his ground-breaking push

for Pan-Indian unity..

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

return to St. Louis.

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.

Lewis and Clark's paths
will diverge

in the years to come.

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.

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.

While Clark prospers..

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

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.

He never marries

and will continue to struggle

with alcohol and depression.

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."

In October 1809,
isolated and alone

Meriwether Lewis
takes his own life.

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!

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.

Please, have a seat.

How can I help you
and the Shawnee?

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.

A time for war will soon come.

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

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.

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.

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.

You, follow him.

Still Harrison proceeds
to destroy Prophetstown.

Without orders from Washington

Harrison strikes,
reducing the village to ashes.

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.

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.

Known as the Battle
of Tippecanoe

it makes Harrison
a national figure.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

...they're ambushed
by Tecumseh..

...and 24 warriors.

Even though
he's vastly outnumbered

Tecumseh prevails.

And he turns his sights

to Fort Detroit itself.

Detroit's pretty important
because it's the gateway

to what's called Upper Canada.

Basically the area
we know as Ontario today.

Detroit was, uh,
the administrative center

of The Great Lakes.

So, the control center

for the entire American west.

By 1812, Tecumseh is a legend
across the frontier.

And terrified by his reputation

the soldiers manning the fort

give up without a fight.

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.

With the American surrender

the British now control
the most important fort

on the frontier.

After a lifetime of violence
under US expansion..

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

Please.

Tecumseh was dedicated
not only to the ideal

of the Shawnee warrior,
but to his own

standard of morality.

Tecumseh's choice
is more than an act of mercy.

It's a strategic act
of diplomacy.

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.

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.

Next time..

...on "The Men Who Built
- 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!

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.

The fate of the United States

depends on this new
generation of frontiersmen.

Do not test me.