Analysis Of The Lewis-Clark Expedition

In 1800 Thomas Jefferson was elected president. With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Jefferson had the vision of the United States growing from sea to sea. However, it was unknown what was out there. Jefferson planned an exploratory expedition and called upon Meriwether Lewis to lead it. Jefferson was very interested in what was in the west lands. Much was involved in the carrying out of this expedition; the preparations for this trip, what happened during their long journey west, and the return home. This expedition was very important in the development of the United States.

The expedition of Lewis and Clark began on May 21,1804. Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lewis met Clark in 1795 in the army. Lewis was asked to be Thomas Jefferson’s private secretary in 1801. Clark was born on August 1, 1770 near Caroline County, Virginia. Clark first entered the military at age 19 and served in the militia. Lewis asked Clark for help on the exploration and made him co-captain. With purchasing land from France called the Louisiana Purchase in April 1803, Jefferson wanted to find a water route that linked Columbia and the Missouri river, connected Pacific Ocean with the Missouri river system, and gave Western land access to port out of Mexico to the East. President also wanted to know what the land he recently bought was like. Lewis and Clark’s expedition immediately got easier with the help of Toussaint Charbonneau and his wife, Sacagawea on November 4, 1804. Sacagawea and her husband helped the exploration run more smoothly without the chance of misunderstanding with the Native American tribes. When Lewis and Clark returned to president Jefferson, they were treated as national heroes. They received gifts such as double pay. The men on the expedition

The question arises of why Thomas Jefferson commenced the great expedition of Lewis and Clark. “ Jefferson wanted to form an expedition that were able to gather valuable information about Western Indians while living at peace with them” (Ronda 1). This was important because the people that were going to move into the Louisiana territory had to make sure they had peace with the Native American. If people take away the Native’s food source, or destroy the materials they make a living out of, is going to cause conflict between the two. “The expedition was fashioned to explore the vast wilderness of what is now North Western United States. It was sponsored by the United States government and was led by U.S. army officers

The Lewis and Clark expedition was a truth that was to become the crowning accomplishment in the lifetime of the brilliant thinker, inventor, and founding father, Thomas Jefferson . It has become a profounding turning point throughout America’s history. Investigating the recently obtained Louisiana Territory, which nearly doubled the size of the country, arranged Jefferson the opportunity to widen the boundaries of the United States to include both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The threat of the unknown lay ahead for Lewis and Clark’s team. The explorers had no idea what they would e be confronted with on their journey, but still they advanced into the unknown area that could officially be called part of America. Thanks to the addition of Lewis, Clark, their essential guide Sacajawea, and the many men that traveled with them America was able to expose land as well as providing important information about the topography, the biological studies, the ecology, and the studies of the American Indian as they discovered the mysteries of the Louisiana Purchase. Although it was a treacherous and costly journey, the Lewis and Clark expedition was the most important exploration in American history.

The men of the expedition had plenty of challenges to face on their return back home. The men was only half way through their journey and they had already spent 95% of their money they had received to go on the expedition. In the beginning of the expedition the men didn’t know what they was going against. They didn’t know how to manage the food and supplies they were provide to go on with the expedition. Lewis, Clark and the rest of the men learn their lesson from when the expedition first begun. The captains decided to put supplies into caches that had stretched from the Nez Perce country to the Great falls. That was a brilliant idea that the captains had made because now they can replenish as the move east ward back home.

Jefferson had secured agreement form the ambassadors of England, France, and Spain that their counties would not try to interfere with Lewis and Clark expedition. The explorers met with Osage Indians on their way of expedition but the Indians were peaceful. For unknown to Leis and Clark, the Spanish had reneged on the promise of safe conduct given to Jefferson by the Spanish ambassadors. Yrujo had warned his Spanish men that American were taking toward the South Sea and he urged commandant Salcedo general of Viceroyalty of New Spain to arrest Lewis and his followers and to seize all the documents that may be found on them. Then Salcedo encouraged his Indian allied to attack Lewis and Clark, but Comanches Indians never found them. The Lakotas was invited to the council by a French-Canadian interpreter who had lived among them and the first meeting with the Lakota was done well. I think Lewis and Clark could have exacted amicable relations if they were acting on their own because they both worked under the order of Jefferson to explore.

On February 28, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson, with the approval of congress, created the Corps of Discovery. Their mission was to map the newly acquired western lands of the Louisianna Purchase, almost 1803—828,000 square miles of unexplored territory, as well as find a route to the Pacific Ocean. This expedition was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. During their adventure, the group encountered many hostile Native American groups, and if not for Sacagawea, these tribes would have surely jeopardized their operation. Due to her role as a helpful guide, Sacagawea was crucial in the encounter between the Corps of Discovery and the Native Americans because she negotiated and traded between the groups, functioned as a peace token, and served as an interpreter.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, risked their lives to bring back precious information of the pacific northwest of the United States. Their accomplishments of surviving the trek and delivering the data to the U.S. government changed the course of history. Even though the Louisiana purchase was big for America today, there were many dangers and hardships Lewis and Clark faced.

Exploration has always been a central theme in the development of the United States. The Louisiana Purchase, in 1803, made the government more eager to expand west. The newly acquired lands were in need of exploration. A team needed to be established to survey and document the new territory. The Lewis and Clark expedition would answer the unknown questions of the west. The expedition would not have been successful without the leadership, determination, discipline of the Corps of Discovery, and the cooperation of the Native Americans. President Jefferson wanted the leader to have the same passion and intensity toward the discovery of the west as he possessed. Jefferson hand-

Not unlike George Washington and the Founding Fathers, who were also handpicked by God, now-President Andrew Jackson selected, tailored, and targeted by Deity as the man who must save the American union to fulfill the Divine Will of a set-apart, free nation. But at first the Indian War took many twists and turns. Prior to the War of 1812 as far back as August 31st, 1803 Thomas Jefferson, now President, sent Lewis and Clark Westward to explore the land beyond the Mississippi River. In preparation, this voyage proceeded from Pittsburgh PA to Louisville KY to St. Louis, MO. At the same time, President Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to meet with Napoleon to purchase the French territory for 80,000 francs. This vast landscape, later known as the Louisiana Purchase, geo/politically doubled the size of the American territory. Enroute, the Indians encountered by Lewis and Clark played a mixed role, some, the Sioux and Blackfoot, were unfriendly, some, the Shoshone, were helpful. The Indian teenage wife of one of the explorers, a Shoshone squaw, played a key role in the success of this mission. She acted as a translator. On November 7th 1805, after a death-defying journey of a year and a half and over 4000 miles, the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the Pacific Ocean and opened up all kinds of economic and political possibilities for the soon-to-be manifest destiny of a bulging

Meriwether Lewis was a confidant of Thomas Jefferson, who was the 3rd President of the United States. When Jefferson bought Louisiana from Bonaparte, the federal government thought that the land purchased was a “worthless desert.” To prove them wrong, Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark’s Mission of Discovery. The expedition went on for 2 years with 3 goals in mind. When Lewis and Clark came back from the expedition, Jefferson put Lewis as the governor of upper Louisiana. Lewis also informed Jefferson of the expedition, and attempted to publish his book. Coming back into Louisiana as the governor, he dealt with financial issues. In D.C., it was rumored that he was embezzling money from Louisiana.

The Lewis and Clark expedition changed the way that people travel and live their daily lives. With many obstacles and struggles that they had to overcome the trip became named The Lewis and Clark Expedition after the strong, independent, and humble leaders. With the whole expedition being a pride and joy to their colonization they overcame many obstacles, found resources, made allies and enemies as well as made new discoveries and findings. From the outstanding ways that they survived to the people that worked with and helped them proceed on their journey, the Lewis and Clark expedition is sure a event in history that many are sure to remember and take pride in.

So on Feburary 28,1803 Jefferson’s request was approved. Jefferson appointed Meriwether Louis in charge of the expedition.      When the Louisiana purchase was announced on july 3, just two days before Lewis was to set out to Pittsburgh to buy supplies and hire men, the semi-covert mission through foreign land was turned into a daring survey into newly aquired American land. To ensure that Louis could buy every thing he needed Jefferson gave a signed page that gave the “faith of the United States” to reimburse anyone for any goods or services needed by Louis. Before leaving Louis had Albert Gallatin (a map collector) make a map that showed North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific.

Thomas Jefferson knew that Meriwether Lewis can do the expedition, but Lewis can’t do it by himself, so he asked William Clark to join him. The expedition is to find the all water route to the Pacific to buy the Louisiana territory to have the ports. Between May of 1804 and March of 1806 they succeeded for traveling 8,000 miles in 28 months to the Pacific Ocean.

In the article, “into the unknown” the author states that Lewis and Clark knew it would be almost impossible to go across the continent without any help. On page 253, paragraph 40 it states “Therefore, Lewis and Clark sought meetings with tribes along the way. The explorers found many native people welcoming, but had difficulties with a few.” Also the author states that “The tribes the explorers encountered were sometimes fearful and suspicious” (253). This information shows that while some Native American could be trusted some other tribes could not.