Clark went on to lay out for the secretary a series of precise proposals for implementing federal removal policies and helping for the beleaguered American Indian Tribes.

• “employment of commissioners personally acquainted with the Indians”.
• “the creation of specific territories for commissioners personally   acquainted with the Indians.”
• “the creation of specific territories for each of the tribes to occupy.”
• “the creation of programs to assist Indians during a transitional period.”
• “the establishment of common schools in the villages.”
• “the formation of governments designed to inculcate the idea of submission to the authority of a civil government.”
• “the establishment of military post adjacent to the Euro-American settlement frontier.”
• “the replacement of smaller permanent annuities with larger temporary payment to encourage the abandonment of old tribal ways, avoid the creation of a permanent dependency and rescue the U. S. treasury from a long-term financial burden.”

Clark based his plan on the assumption that the Indians had to choose either assimilation or extinction. But he also acknowledged that previous attempts to promote assimilation had failed, in large measure because the Indians had not been provided with the material and assistance they needed to succeed. After describing the miserable state of many of the trans-Mississippian tribes, he cautioned Secretary Barbour, “It is vain to talk to people in this condition about learning and religion; they want a regular supply of food, and until that is obtained the operations of the mind must, like the instinct of mere animal, be confined to warding off hunger and cold. Author, William Foley said, “Clark’s proposed benevolence came with a price. The Indians must submit to U.S. authority and abandon their old ways, but tragically the terms he proposed were among the best that were on the table.” ⁽⁷⁾

These significant accomplishments were in-addition to being a husband, and father. A father that ran a business and saw that his children were educated, all a considerable accomplishment. 

Today, Clark’s proposals, outlined above, are condemned and he is vilified as a “slave owner” and “mistreating York”. When taken out of the context of time, his actions are reprehensible. However, when viewed through the lens of time William Clark was making every effort to care for the Tribal People and enslaved people in the best way he knew.  Remembering that William Clark was a product of his time and a problem solver is a better view of the courageous man. For individuals still wishing to transport Clark to a time of different societal values, they should first remember that they will be judged for their failures in their era.