The answer surprisingly is nothing really. They did not care what the Americans were peddling. The indians were still receiving things from English and Spanish traders in the area. They were however amazed by who Louis and Clark took with them, York, Clark's Slave. Apparently, York was in high demand among the indians. There is one instance where the tribal leaders all gathered around him and one spit on his hand and tried to wipe the black off of York. He was amazed when it did not come off. Also the children wanted to play with York, because York would always try and scare the kids, even fooling them into thinking he was a big bear.
After the Civil War, former slaves sought jobs, and planters sought laborers. The absence of cash or an independent credit system led to the creation of sharecropping.
