Lewis and Clark Relied on a Black Slave
- Tom Faletti
- Jun 25
- 6 min read
Throughout history, enslaved people have been given little recognition despite making major contributions. In the New Testament, some of Paul’s letters may have been written down by slaves. Everyone matters. Who are the unsung people of our time that we can see and acknowledge?
When my wife and I visited the Oregon State Capitol building in Salem last week, we learned something surprising.
Our deeply knowledgeable tour guide, named Tom, pointed to a mural in the rotunda that depicts Lewis and Clark at a key moment in their journey, and said: Do you see the Black man near the right edge of the painting? His name is York. He should be in the middle with Lewis and Clark because he was central to the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but he was enslaved.
Who was this Black man who was enslaved yet central to the story of Lewis and Clark?
My curiosity was piqued.
I did not know that an enslaved Black man played a central role in the U.S. expedition that explored the territory of the Louisiana Purchase and searched for a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Did you know that?
When we returned home, I did some research. Here is what I learned:
The Black man named York was “owned” by expedition co-leader William Clark. York had been assigned to be Clark’s personal servant when they were both still children. York did not have a last name because enslaved people were not accorded the dignity of having a last name (I suppose it would have indicated that they have ties to other people besides their enslaver).
York was a skilled hunter and an excellent shot with a rifle. Ordinarily, slaves were not allowed to have guns, but Lewis and Clark needed to eat and recognized York’s superior abilities, so they ignored convention in order to enjoy the fruits of York’s marksmanship.
York was an effective trader who was able to negotiate with the Native Americans they encountered. He was also allowed to express his views along with the other explorers when the expedition leaders sought input before making key decisions.
In short, this enslaved Black man was an essential member of the party who helped keep the explorers alive, well fed, and on good terms with the Native Americans whose land they were traversing.
The story ends badly. When William Clark returned home to fame and good fortune, achieved in part because of the skilled work of the man he kept in bondage, York asked for his freedom. Clark refused. York asked to be assigned to work near his wife, who was enslaved by another man, but Clark allowed him only a few weeks there. When York continued to seek decent treatment, Clark had York whipped and jailed. In later years, Clark claimed he gave York his freedom, but there is no evidence to back that assertion. According to various sources, York may have died of cholera or made his way back to Indian territory where he was treated with greater dignity.
American history is filled with overlooked Black people
In previous posts, I have explored how historians have minimized the role of African Americans in American history (see Are We Afraid of Black American History?). Most people don’t know how deeply “Black” history and “American” history are woven together. York is just one example. (You can explore this issue further explored here: We Need to Know African American History to Know American History. My complete collection of articles on the subject can be found here: https://www.faithexplored.com/blog/tags/racial-justice.)
American history is not the only history that has downplayed the role of enslaved people. York’s story reminded me of a little-known fact about the New Testament.
Some of Paul’s letters were probably transcribed by slaves or people who had been enslaved
The apostle Paul wrote many letters that were preserved and included in the New Testament. If we have an image in our minds of Paul sitting at a desk, quill in hand, we have a false impression of how Paul’s letters were produced. Paul generally dictated his letters to a scribe, who set them to papyrus.
Paul ends his Second Letter to the Thessalonians with a final greeting that says, “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand” (2 Thess. 3:17). This is a clear signal that someone else did the physical writing of the rest of the letter. He makes a similar statement in 1 Corinthians 16:21. Near the end of his letter to the Galatians, he offers a clue as to why. He writes: “See how in such large letters I have written to you in my own hand” (Gal. 6:11). Letter writers hired professional scribes who could write in tiny letters, so that more content could be fit on a single piece of papyrus. Perhaps Paul had a physical impediment that prevented him from writing with small strokes. Perhaps he wanted to minimize the amount of papyrus he used, or perhaps he just preferred that someone else do the physical writing. For whatever reason, he dictated while someone else wrote.
What many people don’t realize is that some of those professional scribes (the technical term for such a writer is an “amanuensis”) were probably slaves.
Near the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans, the amanuensis adds this in the midst of Paul’s final greetings: “I, Tertius, the one who has written this letter, greet you in the Lord” (Rom. 16:22). People sometimes get confused by this. “Wait a minute,” they say. “Did Paul write the letter to the Romans, or did Tertius?” The answer is simple: Paul was the author; Tertius was the scribe.
“Tertius” is a Latin word that means “third.” “Tertius” was a common name for a slave in the Roman Empire, because some masters simply numbered their slaves and didn’t bother to give them more personal names. So Tertius may have been a slave or former slave.
The other people who “wrote” Paul’s letters (the scribes) are not identified, but it is quite possible that some of them were slaves. In the Roman Empire, 20% or more of all the people in the Roman Empire were enslaved, and many of them worked in skilled professions.
(Note: This does not mean that Paul was an enslaver. The new Christian religion attracted many slaves because of its insistence on treating all people with dignity. In his letter to Philemon, Paul urges a slave owner to treat his slave as a brother in Christ rather than as a slave. But slavery was such a central component of Roman society in Paul’s time that it would not be surprising if one or more of his amanuenses were enslaved people.)
There is a further wrinkle to consider. A skilled scribe might take shorthand as an author speaks at normal speed, and then turn those notes into a finished product. This means that a scribe might have to make word choices as he expanded his shorthand notes into a complete letter. Some scholars think that the differences in style that appear in Paul’s letters might be partly due to his use of different amanuenses at different times.
This does not mean that a scribe could go rogue and add inappropriate material to a letter. The author would surely review any important letter before it was sent. The fact that Paul added his personal greeting and signature to the final versions of his letters to the Thessalonians, Corinthians, and Galatians indicates that he reviewed the final copy. But some word choices might have been made by unknown, possibly enslaved scribes, and then ratified by Paul. (The final words are considered inspired, regardless of the amount of collaboration that was involved.)
Who are the people we can notice that are overlooked by others?
What can we learn from the story of York, the essential but often overlooked member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the scribes such as Tertius who helped Paul write his letters?
First, when we read historical accounts, we should examine the stories carefully to see where there may be people who were not fully credited for the important contributions they made.
Second, in our own world, we should pay more attention to the people who are ignored or marginalized but are making critical behind-the-scenes contributions that others rely on.
Third, if you sometimes feel like you are the one who is being left out of the story despite your hard work, you can take heart. God sees you. God knows the value of what you are doing. And someday, your efforts will be acknowledged as God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21, 23). (Incidentally, the word “servant” in those verses is actually the Greek word “slave,” so this quote is particularly relevant to the stories of York and Tertius.)
Who can you take the time to notice and acknowledge around you? Who do others fail to see, and how can you be a witness to their role in the fuller story?
Comments