Jefferson Peace Medal

During the course of the Expedition from St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark handed out several dozen medals to Native leaders, as tokens of peace, symbols of the friendship of the American government, and an implied acknowledgement of United States sovereignty in the Louisiana Purchase territory. The medals came in three sizes—55mm, 75mm, and 105mm—and were handed out according to the perceived prestige of a Native leader: larger medals were presented to the most important chiefs, and smaller medals were given to secondary chiefs. Thomas Jefferson wrote that the practice of handing out medals to prospective allies was “an ancient custom from time immemorial.” The medals were “marks of friendship to those who come to see us, or who do us good offices, conciliatory of their good will towards us, and not designed to produce a contrary disposition towards others.”