Description

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Sacagawea, kidnapped as an adolescent and sold as a slave to a French-Canadian fur trader, is best known for her role as interpreter and symbol of goodwill for Lewis and Clark on their journey west. Despite her pivotal role in this era of Manifest Destiny and blending cultures, much of her ensuing life story remains uncertain, thanks to a larger focus on Lewis and Clark themselves, as well as the perpetuation of legend over fact in several 20th century movies and publications. This concise and readable biography offers an objective treatment of Sacagawea's childhood, her journey with Lewis and Clark, her later life, her explorer son, and the mythology surrounding her death and legacy. As the Lewis and Clark expedition is heavily represented in the U.S. history curriculum, this much-needed volume fills a gap on the reference shelves and supplements American history and Native American studies curricula. Lively narrative chapters are supplemented with a timeline, photos, print and nonprint bibliography, and an index.

As the Lewis and Clark expedition is heavily represented in the U.S. history curriculum, this much-needed volume fills a gap on the reference shelves and supplements Native American studies curricula. The subject matter directly supports the National Standards for U.S. history Era 4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861). Lively narrative chapters are supplemented with a timeline, photos, print and nonprint bibliography, and an index.

About the Author

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April R. Summitt is Assistant Professor of History at Arizona State University's Polytechnic Campus. She has published and presented several articles, book entries, reviews, and papers in the areas of Native American history, western American history, the ethnohistory of Appalachia and the American South, and the cultural history of river environments. Her current research focuses on a comparative analysis of Cherokee and Anglo-American mappings of space and place.