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Undaunted Courage
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson and the Opening | Stephen E. Ambrose
From the bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the definitive book on Lewis and Clarks exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time.In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River to the Rockies, over the mountains, down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, and back. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, made the first map of the trans-Mississippi West, provided invaluable scientific data on the flora and fauna of the Louisiana Purchase territory, and established the American claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Ambrose has pieced together previously unknown information about weather, terrain, and medical knowledge at the time to provide a vivid backdrop for the expedition. Lewis is supported by a rich variety of colorful characters, first of all Jefferson himself, whose interest in exploring and acquiring the American West went back thirty years. Next comes Clark, a rugged frontiersman whose love for Lewis matched Jeffersons. There are numerous Indian chiefs, and Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition, along with the French-Indian hunter Drouillard, the great naturalists of Philadelphia, the French and Spanish fur traders of St. Louis, John Quincy Adams, and many more leading political, scientific, and military figures of the turn of the century. High adventure, high politics, suspense, drama, and diplomacy combine with high romance and personal tragedy to make this outstanding work of scholarship as readable as a novel.
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jenniferw88
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According to the author, Thomas Jefferson is #theman #FearlessFebruary

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MeganPagan

“Lewis was able, through his writing, to take us, two centuries later, to the unexplored Missouri River, Rocky Mountain, and Oregon wilderness country of 1804-6, to meet Indian tribes untouched by European influence,...The journals...constitute a priceless gift to the American people,...”
-On the journals of Meriwether Lewis‘ experiences to the American West.

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MeganPagan
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“Washington, Hamilton, and the other heroes of the American Revolution...were espousing a policy that they had once risked their lives to oppose - taxation without representation.”

On the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794.

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post! This is another book that everyone and everyone else has recommended I read and with haste! Being a history buff, especially early American history, apparently everyone thinks this will be one of my all-time favorites ☺️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. I'm thinking I may indulge in the audio version of this minutely detailed narrative of such an iconic expedition for discovery. Can't wait!!! #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

PatriciaU I really loved this book. I hope you do, too! 8y
MeganMarieWrites I love all of Ambrose's books!! 8y
Wannabe_Quijote I listened to this while road tripping through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. 8y
See All 9 Comments
RealBooks4ever You have to read this!! It's the best! 💜💜💜 8y
Bookwormjillk This is great in audio. 8y
bio_chem06 Can you really go wrong with Stephen Ambrose, I mean..... @MrBook 8y
SaraFair You are hitting all my loves today! Just read in the fall and loved. What an adventure. 8y
MrBook @PatriciaU If you loved it, then I probably will too 😊🙌🏻! @MeganMarieWrites One of those consistently great writers 👌🏻. @FUNdamental Ohhhhhh, my goodness 👌🏻! @RealBooks4ever It's a done deal 😉👍🏻🙌🏻! @Bookwormjillk That's what I was hoping to hear from someone 😊. @bio_chem06 Nope, you can't 😁👏🏻! @SaraFair #KindredSpirits 😎🙌🏻! 8y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 8y
86 likes11 stack adds9 comments
review
Whitneyrwaller
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Mehso-so

Currently trying to finish this in anticipation of my feb #BOTM arrival. It's very interesting but not something I rush to pick up every chance I get. Looking forward to changing pace after this one in favor of something a little more exciting.

KCorter I read this in college for a History class. I definitely agree with your assessment. 8y
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SaraFair
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Pickpick

My Dad's favorite book ever. He would reread it every year. I finally finished it! I learned a lot about the years of Jefferson's presidency. I also learned that there were a lot of men who were more interested in adventure than in their own safety. Now to travel their trail and see how treacherous it is today.

LauraBeth I've been wanting to read this forever! 8y
SaraFair Truth be told, I read the condensed version. The real thing is v e r y full of details and I wanted to get to other books! 8y
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Floresj
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Pickpick

Listened to this one on audiobook (husband's pick😊) and I definitely learned a lot about Lewis and Clark! As a rafter and camper, I enjoyed hearing about the physical difficulties the explorers encountered. It was sad listening to their interactions with the American Indians, knowing the what the future held for them. Ambrose did a nice job of explaining the politics of the time as well.

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Aseleener
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#booktober My pick for my favorite #adventure story. It's nonfiction, but it reads like fiction. This was assigned to me in college, in a course called The American West, and is probably the only "textbook" I read cover to cover. @RealLifeReading

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Joshsandaker
Bailedbailed

About 200 pages in. It was interesting and lots of cool info. I feel I might come back to this later but feel this isn't the right time. Have to decide what to read next.

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