This article is one in a series, French Language and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, by Lewis and Clark Trail Digital Interns.
By the early 18th century, the economic relationship between the United States and France, was close enough that France sold the US 530 million acres of land through the Louisiana Purchase. That was one of the reasons that Lewis and Clark were sent West - to explore all the new land purchased from our European ally (Foreign Service Institute). The close economic ties between the countries gave Frenchmen a close look at the US. Historical documents show us that many French officers felt positively about the US economy, but as the 19th century ushered in a time of unprecedented economic development, France had lingering issues with ideas such as free trade.
There were many positive opinions about early American economic policies. For example, the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette advocated for the implementation of free trade between the hemispheres, as it was already expanding rapidly in the US. He thought it would be mutually beneficial if free trade existed among the Americas, France, and the French islands (Nicolai, p. 123). Free trade between the United States and Tribal Nations of North America was also a focus for Lewis and Clark. Lewis actively advocated for free trade. In Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrose describes how Lewis wanted to build forts along America’s rivers to cultivate trading posts for Native Americans and US traders. Lewis disliked the strict licenses that allowed certain traders to monopolize trade with a specific tribe (Ambrose, p. 443). Most French officers who visited the US acknowledged the economic and demographic strength of the United States, especially compared to the French-Canadian territory that France possessed at the time. Several French officers compared the blossoming American settler economy to the French Republic’s. They were “particularly impressed by the Americans' standard of living, substantial economic equality, and commercial activity" (Nicolai, p. 119).
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
