...The real solution lies in greatly weakening, dismembering, and decentralizing the state (through secession, nullification, and the end of majority rule) to the point where the political winners cannot wield immense power over the losers.
I suspect Jefferson would agree.
Jefferson? The guy that was plotting to kill Muslims overseas and Indians at home? The guy that plotted against Congress to commit unconstitutional land grabs?
Yeah, he hated conflict.
An excellent conclusion.
Jefferson? The guy that was plotting to kill Muslims overseas and Indians at home? The guy that plotted against Congress to commit unconstitutional land grabs?
Yeah, he hated conflict.
Thread killing historian.
We could start with an institution that grooms the populace for compliance with the state, no?
And don't forget what a great friend he was to Meriwether Lewis....Well, at least until Lewis found out about Wilkinson plotting with Spain...Ofcourse Aaron Burr took the hit for that and what happened to Lewis??? Oh that's right he committed "suicide" by shooting himself once in the stomach, then the face, and finally completed his suicide by cutting his own throat...He was bringing back proof of the plot when he committed "suicide" on the Natchez Trace...
Well at least Jefferson believed in freedom for all...Oh wait...He owned a few...Oh..Yeah...Well at least he kept them hidden from view so it "looked" like he believed in freedom for all.....
It was some crazy times here in the Ohio Valley in the early 19th century...3/4 of the people wanted to secede so they could send their goods down river to Spain and France....The whole "Burr Conspiracy" and the effect it had down here is neat...A friend of mine actually has a couple of bank notes that came out of Madison, IN anticipating the change...It is really weird to hold one of those in your hand and realize how different things could have been...Supposedly George Rogers Clark was tapped to lead the army of insurrection...Burr is the only one that took a hit...Possibly Lewis...and that's about it...Everyone else came out good and now it's just a footnote in history....
Oh...And I forgot about Wilkinson...He was heavily inolved and came out pretty unscathed...
James Wilkinson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Suicide or Murder? by Tony Hays
Here is a nice summary of the plot.....
Transcript of The Murder of Meriwether Lewis
The Murder of Meriwether Lewis
Lewis' Trip
Neely's Absence
Pernier, an accomplice?
Russel's Accord
Conclusion
A Conspiracy That Goes All The Way to The Top
Our prime suspect is General James Wilkinson.
"In all our history, there is no more despicable creature." - Theodore Roosevelt
Served under Benedict Arnold in the Revolutionary War.
General Wilkinson
Suicide?
Russel's Letter Forged
One piece of evidence largely supporting the suicide theory is the fact Lewis attempted to kill himself at Fort Pickering.
The only evidence of this was a letter, wrote to President Jefferson, by Captain Russel.
In 1996, this letter was proven a forgery by the FBI.
It's possible it was forged by Neely or Wilkinson to incriminate Lewis' suicide.
A New Republic?
Wilkinson has been confirmed to have wanted to separate Kentucky from America and join it with Spain as a new republic. Why not the whole Louisiana territory?
Motive
The Burr Conspiracy
Wilkinson is also confirmed to have conspired with vice president Aaron Burr, the man who murdered Alexander Hamilton.
Burr came to Wilkinson for help to colonize spanish territory, and claim it as an independent country
One of Jefferson's last assignments for Lewis was to investigate suspected conspirators with Burr in a St. Louis office.
It is possible Lewis found evidence of Wilkinson's alliance with Burr, and was reporting to Jefferson when the General wiped away the evidence from Lewis.
Lewis was heading to DC, accompanied by a loyal servant Pernier.
Along the way, he suffered from malaria and had to stay at Fort Pickering, under the eye of Captain Gilbert Russel.
Murder
According to Neely, just before the group reached Grinder's Inn, two of their horses ran off, and he returned to find Lewis dead.
He accounted for Lewis' death in a a letter to Jefferson, saying he was indeed chasing down runaway horses.
The discovery of certain court documents says otherwise. They show that the time Neely said he was chasing down horses was actually spent in Franklin, Tennessee, a two day's ride from the Grinder Inn.
We have more than one theory to why Wilkinson could have wanted to wipe out Lewis.
First, it could have been out of pure jealousy. Wilkinson's governance of the Louisiana Territory had been stripped for Lewis.
James Wilkinson: Incompetent General and Successful Traitor - National American history | Examiner.com
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The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Suicide or Murder? by Tony Hays
Death on the Trace
The Louisiana Territory
Death on the Trace
CI Reader Volume 1 Chapter 1
CI Reader Volume 1 Chapter 1
http://www.lewisandclarktravel.com/...wis_and_the_burr_wilkinson_conspiracy_part_1/
Aaron Burr
The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Suicide or Murder? by Tony Hays
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bz5jluL4cIlHTHpJNGFmZC1ONFk/edit?pli=1
Or, it could have been more political. If Lewis had been murdered, perhaps Wilkinson believed he would regain his former job
He was confirmed to have sworn loyalty to Spain, an enemy of America at the time. It's possible he was working for Spain to gain leadership of a large portion of America under Spain's guidance as a spy
Or, it could have been more political. If Lewis had been murdered, perhaps Wilkinson believed he would regain his former job.
He was confirmed to have sworn loyalty to Spain, an enemy of America at the time. It's possible he was working for Spain to gain leadership of a large portion of America under Spain's guidance as a spy.
Fort Pickering
Word got out of Lewis' "suicide attempts"
It is possible the cause of this was the malaria, which gave the symptons of delirium and paranoia
When Lewis was healthy enough to head out, Russel himself offered to accompany Lewis to D.C.
Russel's commander, Wilkinson, denied the request
Instead, Wilkinson's own man, Neelly went out of his own way to join Lewis and Pernier after they had left the fort
History News Network | The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis
When Lewis was healthy enough to head out, Russel himself offered to accompany Lewis to D.C..
Russel's commander,
Wilkinson
, denied the request.
Instead, Wilkinson's own man, Neely, went out of his own way to join Lewis and Pernier after they had left the fort.
Neely was accompanied by his own servant.
History News Network | The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis
Grinder Inn
How could Neely have accurately accounted for the death if he was so far away?
This leaves Lewis, Pernier, Neely's servant, Mrs. Grinder, and her children at the scene of the crime.
Suspecting Wilkinson as the mastermind of the murder, and Neely his accomplice, one would reach the conclusion that Neely's servant pulled the trigger.
The body revealed two bullet wounds, one in the head and one in the chest, along with several knife wounds, suggesting a struggle...
The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Suicide or Murder? by Tony Hays
If there was a struggle, would Pernier have aided Neely's servant?
One would think no, due to the fact he was Lewis' servant.
However, after Lewis died, Pernier trekked all the way to Virginia, to inform Lewis' mother of the death.
His mother believed Pernier killed Lewis, apparently seeing through the servant.
She chased Pernier off her property with her rifle.
He shortly killed himself, apparently not collecting $240 he said Lewis owed him.
Did he feel guilty, and wished to confess before he killed himself?
History News Network | The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis
Lewis' Mother
In a letter to President Jefferson, Captain Russel wrote how Lewis had an alcohol problem, and Neely encouraged Lewis to drink, even when he had had his fill.
Russel also wrote how he believed Pernier was an accomplice, judging from Mrs. Grinder's testimony alone.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bz5jluL4cIlHTHpJNGFmZC1ONFk/edit?pli=1
There are too many holes in the suicide theory for it to be correct.
First, Lewis was a skilled marksman. Why would he need to take two shots?
If he had killed himself with his own gun, he would have been using a .69 caliber pistol. One shot is PLENTY.
.69 Caliber Pistol
He also had knife wounds.
The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Suicide or Murder? by Tony Hays
From all the sources used before...
Wilkinson is the mastermind, with multiple possible motives including erasing incriminating evidence, jealousy, taking control of the Louisiana territory as a Spanish spy, converting it into a Spanish country, or converting it into an independent country.
He rejected Captain Russel's request to guide Lewis, and instead sent Neely.
Neely disappeared, making his testimony heresy
.He also gave Lewis excessive amounts of alcohol, to incriminate him for suicide.
Neely's servant murdered Lewis, possibly with the help of Perdier, who Russel found guilty.
Perdier traveled to Virginia to tell Lewis' mother, who afterwords, believed Perdier was guilty
Perdier kills himself.
Lewis had multiple gunshot and knife wounds, from a .69 caliber pistol, making suicide improbable.
The letter Russel wrote to Jefferson accounting for Lewis' suicide attempts was forged.
The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Suicide or Murder? by Tony Hays
So your opinion regarding ..."The real solution lies in greatly weakening, dismembering, and decentralizing the state (through secession, nullification, and the end of majority rule) to the point where the political winners cannot wield immense power over the losers."?