Americans like Lewis and Clark saw the Indians as children lost in a wilderness. They thought Indians were savages who could become “normal.”
All they had to do was learn the white man’s religion and way of life. Lewis and Clark thought they could handle any situation with the Indians.
The Indians had their own ways of life. Peoples of the plains, of the mountains, and of the Pacific Coast all had their own languages. They also had their own religions and traditions. Their lifestyles helped them do well in the different places they lived.
Despite their biases, Lewis and Clark’s meetings with the peoples of the West went very well. There were a few close calls. But only one conflict ended in a death.