Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci Historian: America's Origin Story Is A Lie - Craig Fehrman - Craig Fehrman
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Apr 21, 2026 
Craig Fehrman, journalist and historian who spent years researching Lewis and Clark, reexamines America's origin story. He highlights untold voices from the journals, the expedition as a collective endeavor, the central but complicated role of York, and the integration of indigenous oral histories. The conversation reframes familiar figures and the politics behind the journey.
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Lewis And Clark As America's First Research Project
- Lewis and Clark functioned as America's first major scientific and foreign-policy project aimed at understanding and shaping a continent.
- Craig Fehrman frames the expedition as a proto-NASA funded to map, study, and remake territory under Jefferson's vision.
York's Whipsaw Moment Reveals His Importance
- A single journal line about York sawing with a whipsaw revealed York's critical skills and status on the expedition.
- Fehrman used that detail to reconstruct York's role as a skilled worker vital for building and survival.
The Expedition Was A Vast Ensemble
- The expedition was an ensemble effort far beyond the two captains, involving many classes and Native nations.
- Fehrman chose the book title from Clark's phrase this vast enterprise to emphasize the collective scale.
