In Philadelphia, Louis Philippe Gallot de Lormerie writes to President Thomas Jefferson to express his admiration of the Western Expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark—”the finest undertaking that philosophy, clothed in authority, has yet been able to conceive and execute”.
Liberty Escorts Lewis and Clark West
Official Seal of the 1905 Portland Lewis and Clark Exposition
Colorized from the original by Raphael Beck.
Like many after him, libertarian Louis Philippe Gallot de Lormerie appears to have been swept away by the success of the Western Expedition. See also Becoming an American Epic and Assessing the Legacy of Lewis and Clark.
Lormerie’s Admiration
Philadelphia 30 Novembre 1806
The details recently published concerning the admirable expedition of Captains Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean by way of your continent have led me to regard this expedition as the finest undertaking that philosophy, clothed in authority, has yet been able to conceive and execute. It is doubtless one of the most sublime conceptions of the statesman; for what sources of prosperity for your commerce and your navigation! What advantages for your agriculture and your nascent industries!
. . . . .
P.S. Please excuse me if I do not sign this letter because of the political details it contains.[1]Louis-Philippe Gallot de Lormerie to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-4609.
Louis Philippe Gallot de Lormerie (b. ca. 1746) was a long-time correspondent with Thomas Jefferson. He considered himself a fellow scientist, aesthetic, and political essayist. In his letters, he often promoted the environmental and civilizational development of the early United States. Earlier in 1803, he had written Jefferson:
Only the arts can civilize human behavior, console men for human cruelty, and prevent or heal the evils that are inseparable from life in society. Introducing the arts into the United States is part of your administration.[2]Lormerie to Jefferson, 15 April 1803, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0154 [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 40, 4 … Continue reading
Notes
| ↑1 | Louis-Philippe Gallot de Lormerie to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-4609. |
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| ↑2 | Lormerie to Jefferson, 15 April 1803, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0154 [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 40, 4 March–10 July 1803, ed. Barbara B. Oberg (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013), 213–216.]. |
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
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