James Ronda

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James P. Ronda (born May 30, 1943) is a now retired Western American historian. He is also an emeritus professor of history at the University of Tulsa. During his career, which began at Youngstown State University and finished at the University of Tulsa, Ronda became known for his research on the Lewis and Clark Expeditions. He has written multiple works on the subject, as well as appearing on C-Span for a special presentation about the writings of Lewis and Clark, which aired in 2001. [1] Ronda's 1984 book Lewis and Clark: Among the Indians [2] has contributed the most to his reputation as an authority on the subject. [3] Ronda's largest contribution to his field of study was his inclusion of the Native American perspective in the Lewis and Clark expeditions.

Contents

Early life and academic career

James P. Ronda was born on May 30, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. [4] He is married to Jeanne (Jean) Ronda and from an early age set out to become a professor at the university level. In 1980, he said, "I think I knew from the time I was quite young that I wanted to teach history at the university level, and my parents gave me a great deal of support for that choice." Ronda received his bachelor's degree from Hope College in Michigan. Following his graduation, he enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he would go on to earn his masters and doctoral degrees. Ronda was hired as a professor at Youngstown State University in 1968, where he would serve until 1990. [5] While at Youngstown, he taught and researched topics related to American history. Following his time at Youngstown, Ronda took a position as professor of Western American history, eventually serving as the H. G. Barnard Chair, at the University of Tulsa. He would serve at this university until his retirement in 2008. During his career, Ronda would also serve as President of the Western History Association. He was also named to the Advisory Committee of the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. His successes as a professor and an author has led him to various on screen opportunities with C-SPAN, BBC, and PBS. [3]

Writings

Between 1968 and 1981, Ronda had written three books, but it wasn't until 1984 that his breakthrough work was published. Lewis and Clark: Among the Indians, published by the University of Nebraska, provided a unique perspective on the already well-known adventures of Lewis and Clark. In the introduction to the bicentennial edition of his book, Ronda cites John Logan Allen's Passage Through the Garden: Lewis and Clark and the Image of the American Northwest as his early inspiration for this book. While reading Allen's book, he committed himself to engaging in a study on Lewis and Clark's interactions and relations with the Native American populations they encountered. [6] His book would provide a new way to study the events of the Lewis and Clark expedition through the eyes of the Native Americans they encountered. This would prove to be a challenging task, but Ronda was able to put the narrative together after studying various expedition journals, notes, and other materials available. [7] Since the publishing of this 1984 book, Ronda has produced multiple titles related to the West, and Lewis and Clark. In one of his latest works to date, Beyond Lewis and Clark: The Army Explores the West, Ronda approached the story of Lewis and Clark once again, but focused instead on the overall expeditions by the Army. Stories of Lewis and Clark have dominated the topic of western discovery, however Ronda sets out to tell further stories of the army's role in western exploration. Beyond these two books, Ronda has many other books that have given him recognition. A list of some of his major books are listed in chronological order below.

List of books

Legacy

James Ronda's legacy will be tied to the attention he brought to the Native American perspective on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, along with the expanded information his multiple books have added to the subject. Beyond his direct contribution through his writing, his contribution in the classroom have impacted many future historians, providing them with knowledge of the topic and the techniques necessary for those who hope to practice in the field of history.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis and Clark Expedition</span> 1804–1806 American overland expedition to the Pacific coast

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark. Clark, along with 30 others, set out from Camp Dubois, Illinois, on May 14, 1804, met Lewis and ten other members of the group in St. Charles, Missouri, then went up the Missouri River. The expedition crossed the Continental Divide of the Americas near the Lemhi Pass, eventually coming to the Columbia River, and the Pacific Ocean in 1805. The return voyage began on March 23, 1806, at Fort Clatsop, Oregon, ending six months later on September 23 of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meriwether Lewis</span> American explorer and Governor (1774–1809)

Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark. Their mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade with, and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific Northwest and Oregon Country for the United States before European nations. They also collected scientific data and information on indigenous nations. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806. He died in 1809 of gunshot wounds, in what was either a murder or suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Clark</span> American explorer and territorial governor (1770–1838)

William Clark was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Country</span> Early-19th-century U.S. fur trade district in North America

Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcated by the Treaty of 1818, consisted of the land north of 42° N latitude, south of 54°40′ N latitude, and west of the Rocky Mountains down to the Pacific Ocean and east to the Continental Divide. Article III of the 1818 treaty gave joint control to both nations for ten years, allowed land to be claimed, and guaranteed free navigation to all mercantile trade. However, both countries disputed the terms of the international treaty. Oregon Country was the American name, while the British used Columbia District for the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toussaint Charbonneau</span> Canadian-born explorer, fur trapper and merchant (1767–1843)

Toussaint Charbonneau was a French Canadian explorer, fur trapper and merchant who is best known for his role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition as the husband of Sacagawea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corps of Discovery</span> Unit of the United States Army

The Corps of Discovery was a specially established unit of the United States Army which formed the nucleus of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that took place between May 1804 and September 1806. The Corps was led jointly by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, the Corps' objectives were scientific and commercial – to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and to learn how the Louisiana Purchase could be exploited economically. Aside from its military composition, the Corps' additional personnel included scouts, boatmen, and civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Colter</span> Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

John Colter was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806). Though party to one of the more famous expeditions in history, Colter is best remembered for explorations he made during the winter of 1807–1808, when he became the first known person of European descent to enter the region which later became Yellowstone National Park and to see the Teton Mountain Range. Colter spent months alone in the wilderness and is widely considered to be the first known mountain man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Mandan</span> American frontier fort used by Lewis & Clark

Fort Mandan was the name of the encampment which the Lewis and Clark Expedition built for wintering over in 1804–1805. The encampment was located on the Missouri River approximately twelve miles (19 km) from the site of present-day Washburn, North Dakota, which developed later. The precise location is not known for certain. It is believed now to be under the water of the river. A replica of the fort has been constructed near the original site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Gass</span>

Patrick Gass served as sergeant in the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806). He was important to the expedition because of his service as a carpenter, and he published the first journal of the expedition in 1807, seven years before the first publication based on Lewis and Clark's journals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Falls (Missouri River)</span> Series of waterfalls in Montana, United States

The Great Falls of the Missouri River are a series of waterfalls on the upper Missouri River in north-central Montana in the United States. From upstream to downstream, the five falls along a 10-mile (16 km) segment of the river are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheheke</span> Mandan chief

Sheheke, Sheheke-shote, translated as White Coyote, and also known as Coyote or Big White, was a Mandan chief.

The exploration of North America by European sailors and geographers was an effort by major European powers to map and explore the continent with the goal of economic, religious and military expansion. The combative and rapid nature of this exploration is the result of a series of countering actions by neighboring European nations to ensure no single country had garnered enough wealth and power from the Americas to militarily tip the scales over on the European continent. It spanned the late 15th to early 17th centuries, and consisted primarily of expeditions funded by Spain, England, France, and Portugal. See also the European colonization of the Americas.

Events from the year 1806 in the United States.

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery is a 1997 television documentary miniseries about the Lewis and Clark Expedition directed and co-produced by Ken Burns. It is produced by Burns' Florentine Films for Washington, DC PBS station WETA-TV, first aired on PBS on November 4 and 5, 1997.

The Missouri Fur Company was one of the earliest fur trading companies in St. Louis, Missouri. Dissolved and reorganized several times, it operated under various names from 1809 until its final dissolution in 1830. It was created by a group of fur traders and merchants from St. Louis and Kaskaskia, Illinois, including Manuel Lisa and members of the Chouteau family. Its expeditions explored the upper Missouri River and traded with a variety of Native American tribes, and it acted as the prototype for fur trading companies along the Missouri River until the 1820s.

Thomas Jefferson believed Native American peoples to be a noble race who were "in body and mind equal to the whiteman" and were endowed with an innate moral sense and a marked capacity for reason. Nevertheless, he believed that Native Americans were culturally and technologically inferior. Like many contemporaries, he believed that Indian lands should be taken over by white people and made the taking of tribal lands a priority, with a four step plan to “(1) run the hunters into debt, then threaten to cut off their supplies unless the debts are paid out of the proceeds of a land cession; (2) bribe influential chiefs with money and private reservations; (3) select and invite friendly leaders to Washington to visit and negotiate with the President, after being overawed by the evident power of the United States; and (4) threaten trade embargo or war.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of the Lewis and Clark Expedition</span>

This is a bibliography of literature dealing with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of Idaho history</span>

The following works deal with the cultural, political, economic, military, biographical and geologic history of pre-territorial Idaho, Idaho Territory and the State of Idaho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of South Dakota history</span>

The following works deal with the cultural, political, economic, military, biographical and geologic history of pre-territorial South Dakota, the southern part of Dakota Territory and the State of South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Dean Jackson</span>

Donald Dean Jackson was an American journalist, historian, and professor of American history involving early America and the Civil War mostly. He was the founding editor of the University of Virginia's George Washington Papers project. Apart from his editing and publishing of those papers, Jackson was also noted for his consulting and editorship in the Lewis and Clark project, gathering and compiling related manuscripts into one comprehensive study. Jackson was also considered an expert historian of the American West and its exploration and authored many books and journals in that area of study.

References

  1. ↑ "James P. Ronda". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Ronda, James (2002). Lewis and Clark among the Indians. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN   978-0-8032-8990-1.
  3. 1 2 "Ronda, James P." Read North Dakota. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ "James P. Ronda". NNDB. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ Dr. James P. Ronda Accepts Invitation to Address Annual Banquet Gathering. (1981). We Proceeded On, 7(2). Retrieved from http://www.lewisandclark.org/wpo/pdf/vol7no2.pdf
  6. ↑ Ronda, James, P. (2002). Lewis and Clark: Among the Indians, Bicentennial Ed. Lincoln, Ne. University of Nebraska Press.
  7. ↑ Jenkinson, Clay (December 1, 1969). "Conversations with the great humanist James Ronda". Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  8. ↑ Ronda, James (1990). Astoria & empire (in Portuguese). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN   978-0-8032-8942-0.
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