Content Note: This episode mentions the topic of suicide. Year(s) Discussed: 1802-1803 As the Jefferson administration awaited word on the outcome of Monroe’s mission to France, the territorial governors and government agents in the western US dealt with various issues including labor shortages, troubled relations with neighboring indigenous nations, and the economic chaos caused by the port of New Orleans being closed to American shipping. To the east, the President and his Cabinet worked with Meriwether Lewis to prepare him for the planned transcontinental expedition as news came from across the Atlantic that would reshape the United States forever. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com. Featured Image: “William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of Louisiana” [c. early 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia  Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices