York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition

by Rhoda Blumberg

Did you know that an African-American man participated in Lewis and Clark's famous expedition? Working alongside free men, Clark's slave York played an important role in the journey's success.

This award-winning book draws on extensive research to give a gripping and insightful account of York's significant contribution to this landmark historical event.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, African American, Cultural

96 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2003

About the author

Rhoda Blumberg has written about the opening of Japan (1853-1854) in Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun, a Newbery Honor Book, which also won the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and the Golden Kite Award. Her acclaimed histories also include The Incredible Journey of Lewis & Clark, The Great American Gold Rush, and The Remarkable Voyages of Captain Cook, all ALA Notable Books. She is the winner of the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for her overall contribution to nonfiction.

Rhoda Blumberg says that while doing research for Commodore Perry, "I read about the ordeals and strange adventures of Manjiro, then spent years replaying his life story in my mind until I felt impelled to write about him."

The author and her husband, Gerald, live in Yorktown Heights, New York.

Reviews

[Rachel Gilbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew this story. But I'm so glad that I have read his story. York is an extraordinary man that I wish more people knew his story. I find that this book would work really well in a classroom to give students a different perspective on the Lewis and Clark story. The book is wordy but there is a lot of background knowledge that was nice to be reminded of. Besides that I would highly recommend this book.

[Hlbjerke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: York’s Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American’s Part of the Great Expedition By Rhoda Blumberg

Bibliography:
Blumberg, Rhoda. (2004). York’s Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American’s Part of the Great Expedition. New York, New York.: Harperscollins Publishers.

Annotation:
This biography tells the story of Clark’s slave York who accompanied the Corps of Discovery on their quest to find the Northwest Passage. Although York was a slave and brought on the expedition against his will, he played a major part in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Native Americans were curious about him and that made negotiations easier, even possible in some cases. York’s man power and dedication also helped propel the journey along. He is often not given credit for all that he did, but he is an American Hero.

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: 8.6

Readers who will like this book: Readers who like biographies, history, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, exploring, or books about African Americans will really enjoy this book.

Personal Response and Rating: I rate this book a three out of a five. It was a good book about an excellent topic but I expected it to be written better. The biography was forced to make a lot of (logical) assumptions and I found the writing to be a bit jarring at times which pulled me out of the story.

Text-Dependent Question:

What were several instances during the expedition when York was treated as someone more than a slave? What does this say about York’s experience with the Corps of Discovery and how he felt after the expedition?

How did the author’s layout of the book help contribute to your (the reader’s) understanding of the book?

The author used a writing style that incorporated a lot of “must haves.” Drawing on evidence from the text explain why the author did this. Find an example of one of the “must have” sentences. Do you think the sentence is an accurate reflection?

[Miranda Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most people don't know of the man named York who joined Lewis and Clark on their adventures. This is because he was Clark's slave. There was much dispute about a slave going on this voyage but Clark had argued that York would be the best addition to his team because of his bravery and strength. York was more than just Clark's slave; he was his bodyguard and his friend. This book was a good nonfiction book in that is was full of factual language that helps give the readers and idea about what Lewis and Clark's journey may have been like. Although most of the experiences are predicted because there are not many recorded accounts of their travels, there are also some of Lewis's journal entries that add credibility to this book. However, I think that this nonfiction book was somewhat written like that of a textbook. It seemed somewhat dry and just presented facts. Although this makes it a credible nonfiction book, it doesn’t make it very appealing for young readers. I think that this book would be beneficial for a student to use in a research project about Lewis and Clark’s journey or about York, yet I don’t think it would be a book that a child would pick up to read for fun.

[Kate Sumner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isn’t the answer just Lewis and Clark? Who is York? This is a perfect source that shows the flaws within our teachings in history. This resourceful nonfiction is a biography of York, an African-American “body servant” to William Clark. Within our almost forgotten detail of our history, York played a very important role in the “Lewis and Clark” expedition from 1804-1806. Arguably the main reason for its success.
Though born as a slave, in his youth, he grew up and played with Clark before officially becoming the personal guard he was known to be. As they did almost everything together, York had grew into a tall, big, muscular black man who was an able hunter, strong swimmer, and a sturdy hiker (unquestionably qualified for the risky expedition). In 1803, Meriwether Lewis had asked William Clark to accompany him on an extraordinary expedition and he had agreed. Though Clark was questioned on his decision for a slave to join the voyage, working alongside free men, he knew that York would be a great asset.
Throughout the book, you learn more about York during and after the expedition. There were a lot of given facts, but also told logical predictions of the experience because of the lack of recorded accounts. It was expected that the credibility came from a white man’s perspective, ex; Lewis and Clark's’ journal entries and letters. Though I had wished for anything that may have seemed from York, I find it very respectable that the author states the lack of sources for his untold story. The book represents York’s life as accurately as it can through the given sources and social and political state it was in the 1800s.
Overall, I found this book to be an insightful account of York’s significant contribution. The content was impressive, but its presentation wasn’t. I could sense the book attempting to make it sound like a journal/story entry. But with the lack of personal views to attempt an unbiased view and an overall view of York with the presented facts, it had resulted into a somewhat mini-textbook. Though a great supplement to learning the expedition, I can’t see young children being immersed into the book.
For social studies, grades 5-8, this would be a recommended source to keep in hand. May also be great for any older students who were only taught of Lewis and Clark.

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, clean biography that was interesting to me because I am in the middle of a "Lewis and Clark/black history" learning streak, but sadly, this book was a bit dry and factual. I would have rated it higher if I could have considered it a living book. It was, indeed, written by one author, who I'm sure has a passion for the subject...the passion just didn't really show through. It was meticulously researched, though, and was a good source of information about York. I did enjoy it quite a bit.

The book I read just prior to this one is a good living book which included York in the narrative (Sacajawea by Joseph Bruchac) and which awoke my interest in learning more about York. So when I spotted York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition at the library, I snatched it up. I might go so far as to say that the reading of Sacajawea is a prerequisite to loving this particular book.

So, as a supplement to an interest that already exists, or for research, this is a good resource. As a starting point or a family read-aloud, I would recommend something else.

[Irina Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

With beautiful illustrations, the story of York, who was born a slave is told. Even though he and William Clark grew up and played together in their youth, he became the personal “body servant” of Clark. When Meriwether Lewis asked William Clark to accompany him to across the continent to the Pacific Ocean, Clark bought York with him. York was a great asset to the team because of his strength and stamina. He also had great intelligence and trading skills which helped the expedition through tough times. After the expedition was over York did not receive any compensation for his contribution. He also did not receive praise and recognition that the white people of the expedition did. This book was an excellent accurately described what life was like for York. It was clearly stated that he was considered property of the Clark family. It also portrayed the tension that existed between whites and slaves. The whites were always afraid of an uprising and would not allow slaves to own musical instruments for fear that they would use it to communicate with each other. The different Native American tribes they met and interacted with were also incorporated into the story. The Endnotes provide sources for the information that Blumberg used to research York and the expedition.

[Sarah Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a large biography/historic picture book from 2004 about York, the personal slave of William Clark, who accompanied Lewis and Clark's company in the westward expedition of 1803. In it, we learn how much York's presence was advantageous in many ways, possibly to the extent that it would not have gone well without him, since he was an excellent hunter and swimmer and very strong and capable and because the natives the party came across generally looked up to York because of his dark skin, which signified by their measure that he was a great warrior.

In my classroom, I would have this book as a resource for my students to look at and refer to, especially as it relates to PNW history. I would also refer to the book in telling my students about this man who was little known and even less celebrated. I believe he is a historical figure worthy of my students' study and admiration.

[Sassa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is better than a 3, yet I am not sure I would give it a 4. Can't wait to hear what my grandchildren think about it. My scoring may change after our discussion. My only pause is thoughts are given to York that I am not sure he thought. I did learn a lot of history and now want to know more about the Lewis and Clark expedition, as well as York.

[Albert Wiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It reinforced my knowledge on this subject.

[Jessica LeBaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition
Rhoda Blumberg

York’s Adventures with Lewis and Clark by Rhonda Blumberg is about Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s Great Expedition in the 1800’s. The book details the Expedition of Lewis and Clark through the eyes of an African American boy and slave to Clark named York. Through the eyes of York, the reader learns new information that is not necessarily covered in history classrooms in schools. York became a servant for William Clark when William was fourteen years old and York was twelve or thirteen years old. Almost twenty years later, in 1803, the plans for the Great Expedition started to be planned between Clark and Meriwether Lewis. The two men had to hire people to go on the excursion with them, and they were all paid. York was still a slave and so he was not paid for anything that he did. Seeing as the group of men were to be together for around two years, all of the white men around York worried about how everything would go. Throughout the book, it is noted that York notices the differences between Americans and people of other ethnicities and backgrounds, such as Native Americans. York was also very wondrous to the Native people because they had never seen a black individual before. During the trip, York was expected to make it through all of the rough and risky situations. There was a lot of suffering during the trip, but only one man died. Even though the group managed to reach the western coast, they continued to suffer due to weather and poor equipment. They stayed on the west coast for four months before heading back to St. Louis. Along the entire trip, some Natives were very helpful and willing to feed the travelers, while others shunned them away. The group only had to fight with Natives one time when they were on their way back to St. Louis through Missouri, and only one Native was killed. Upon returning to St. Lewis almost two and a half years after the group had departed, people though that they had gotten lost and were startled but excited to see them. During the expedition, York was able to be around white men without having to do things that slaves would normally do, like eat, sleep, and bathe in separate areas. York experienced some shock when he continued his old lifestyle because he was considered much more inferior by society, because he was still a slave. Eventually Clark moved to a different state, which was devastating for York because he had his family back in Kentucky where Clark had originally lived. York was able to visit his wife even though their marriage was not considered legal because they were slaves. In 1816, Clark freed York, but York suffered in the white man’s world at the time and suffered until he died. York died unrecognized for any of his participation and accommodation during the Great Expedition with Lewis and Clark, even though he acted as a major gateway with the Native communities.
I think that this book could be extremely useful in a classroom. I was never taught about the other people on the Great Expedition besides Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea, so reading this book was a huge shock to me because kids are not taught about the other people that made the expedition so successful. This book could be used when teaching students about the Great Expedition at any grade level, because I'm sure students will be just as surprised as I was with this new information.

[Hayle Lincoln · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book for sure! I really did enjoy it though! It was a great non-fiction book! It had many cool and interesting facts throughout the book as well. I would use this in my classroom if I ever have to add a lesson about Lewis and Clark, if I have that subject in my curriculum I will definitely use this book. Interesting pictures to go alone with the words as well which made the book jump out even more to me. As the sayings go “a picture is worth a thousand years”. Overall this was a good story overall about Lewis and Clark ad their encounters with other people and other cultures. This book falls under non-fiction and multicultural. Good book overall, and a good educational read. Again, I will possibly use this book in my own classroom if leaching about Lewis and Clark is in my curriculum.

Blumberg, R. (2003). York's adventures with Lewis and Clark: The African-American's part in the great expedition. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

[Lv2readB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blumberg, R. (2004). York’s adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American part in the Great Expedition. New York: Harper Collins.

Summary:
York, an African-American “body servant” to William Clark, was an important part of the Lewis and Clark expedition from 1804-1806.
Note: although the content was impressive, the presentation of the information was not.

Reviews/Awards:
Horn Book Guide 10/1/2004
Library Journal 2/15/2004
School Library Journal 2/1/2004
Horn Book Magazine 1/1/2004
Booklist 12/1/2003
Kirkus Review 11/15/2003

Curriculum Connection:
* Social Studies: use with students studying the Lewis and Clark expedition; this book gives a new and unique perspective of the only African-American on the trip and is important to include when researching their journey.

Grades: 5-8

[Kayla Spohr · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Story is about York and the Lewis and Clark and is told in two stories. The story of Lewis and Clark is well known, but York’s story is about an enslaved man on the journey with his master, William Clark. This is not a popular story that many people do not know. York was promised land and freedom for going on this excursion, but he returned from this journey though, still a slave. York did not receive the double pay and 320 acres of land each enlisted man received and was not even included in the official list of men who had gone on the expedition. . This book is attractive in its design by have maps, sketches and archival materials. The true facts in this book are supported by all the pictures, maps and great writing style.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

The booked filled in a personal blank of American history detail. It is helpful, though distressing, to understand White American's views about American Natives and Blacks at that time. A good companion book is Rhonda Blumberg's "The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark". The Author honors the memories of York and Sacagawea with her research and writing.
Age Range: 8 and up
Grade Level: 4 and up

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The details of York's life are magnificient but there's an underlying tone of too much sympathy for slaves as if they were children. The drawings are excellent. The ending was bittersweet. Clark freed York but York had trouble competing against whites in his hauling business. He died a free man but unrecognized for his contributions to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great story about Clark's slave, York, who accompanied him on their expedition to the west. It is so unfortunate that he had such a great hand in the expedition being so successful, yet he has been forgotten, just because he was a black slave.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes an excellent supplement to the story of the Great Expedition. Learning about the mysteries surrounding York and his positive role in the expedition was very intriguing. I can definitely see how this can be used in a social studies or history class.

[Amy Rachuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orbis Pictus Award Winner in 2005. Provides excellent additional details on the part York played in the expedition. Very open with where we are currently lacking in any historical data with York's story, and encouraging for future historians.

[Kelli Shoemake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book showing the impact of African-Americans throughout history which are often left out of history books!