The expeditions of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark of the newly purchased Louisiana Territory radically shaped American scientific knowledge as well as relationships with Indians. The framework for their expedition was laid far before they first set sail from the mouth of the Missouri River is 1804. In 1801, France reacquired its North-American “Louisiana territory” from Spain after a series of secret deals with Spain brokered by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Almost immediately, US trade at the port of New Orleans was blocked, enraging many Americans. Realizing that this presented a bottleneck on US expansion and trade, president Thomas Jefferson sent his Secretary of State, James Monroe, to Paris to discuss the possibility of purchasing the territory. …show more content…
This territory nearly doubled the size of the US, extending it to the Rocky Mountains. Shortly after the approval for the purchase of the territory came the approval for the creation of a group known as the Corps of Discovery. This company would have the responsibility (and support of the government) to create maps and establish diplomacy with the Indians of the new territory, all of these activities had the purpose of not only discovering more about the unfamiliar new lands, but also allowing for new trade, and thus, economic growth. Jefferson decided to put his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, in charge of the Corps of Discovery. As his first action, Lewis chose his former military officer, and close friend, William Clark, to aid him in leading the journey, thus giving birth to the legendary duo, Lewis and
Lewis and Clark went on their journey to explore the western region of what is now known as
In April 1803, the negotiation was concluded and the entire region of Louisiana was ceded to the United States for the sum of $11,250,000 dollars (LeFeber 182). The American negotiators seized the favorable circumstances to urge the claims of American merchants on the French government for $3,750,00. This important acquisition more than doubled the territory of the United States. The great majority of the nation received the treaty with jubilation, but there were some particularly in the eastern States that disclaimed strenuously against it. They saw in the great enlargement of our territory and was nogthing more thatn a great waste, a wilderness unpeopled with any beings except wolves and wandering Indians. We are to give money of which we have too little for land of which we already have too much (LeFeber 183).
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.
Jefferson was troubled by the fact of France owning the land, because it might scare people away to settle in the land. In response James Monroe was sent to France along with Robert Livingston to negotiate a trade for the New Orleans territory. Jefferson limited the cost to $10
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.
At the commencement of the 17th century, successions of westward expansion had already begun to take place. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson, who was president at the time, purchased the Louisiana territory from France. Several citizens did support Jefferson’s purchase in virtue of the many
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.
Imagine you are the President of a rapidly expanding country. If you got offered 530 million acres of land for $15 million, would you buy it? President Thomas Jefferson and his advisers were faced with this exact decision. Thomas Jefferson, envious of France’s New Orleans, sent Monroe and Livingston to Paris with the hope of at least getting the port rights to New Orleans, if incapable of buying it with a budget of $9.3 million. When Livingston and Monroe reached Paris, they were surprised to find Napoleon and his French government not only willing to sell, but almost forcing a sale on the American ambassadors. Not only that, they wanted to sell all 830,000 square miles of the Louisiana Territory, including New Orleans. Constantly expanding and exploring, Livingston and Monroe knew America needed more room to grow. 530 Million acres worth of land would be more than sufficient for 1803 America. At 3 cents per acre, the Louisiana Purchase was a great deal as far as cost is concerned. Before they had even signed the contract sealing the deal, President Thomas Jefferson had already recruited a close friend and fellow botanist, Meriwether Lewis to explore the new Territory. Before the public even knew about the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition had set out. The Louisiana Purchase was a good idea because it provided room for rapidly-expanding America to grow and explore at an incredibly low price but also increased America’s global prowess.
America doubled in size in 1803 when President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for 15 million dollars. Jefferson wanted to discover this land and hoped to find a water route that would link the pacific ocean with the mississippi river. Jefferson decided to enlist the help of his personal secretary and soldier, Meriwether Lewis. Lewis knew he couldn’t go on this journey alone and he knew just the man to join him on the journey. William Clark was a draftsman who possessed knowledge of the outdoors. Among Lewis and Clark, young american soldiers and french canadian river men were hand picked to tag along with them on their journey. York, Clark’s personal slave and companion since childhood, tagged along. Another person
Either way, Lewis was the man for the job. He had skill as a gentleman, politician and military officer as well as skill with the sciences and all the knowledge of Indians as could be found. With his friend William Clark as his equal for the journey, they spent the fall and winter in preparation. Jefferson had given Lewis a “blank check” with the understanding that he should buy what he needed and the U.S. government would pay the bill, despite the fact that only $2500 had originally been approved by congress before the formal purchase of the Louisiana Territory. (Jefferson)
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
Louisiana Purchase, more prominently known as an acquisition that doubled the size of the country we reside in, was much more than just a simple purchase, much less an easy one. Thomas Jefferson had to consider all the aspects, consequences, and effects that the decision of buying 2,144,500 square kilometers of land would have on the country (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 1). This purchase brought many improvements to the country, but also had unexpected consequences that would transform the country as a whole. Although Jefferson’s decision was considered a mistake by some Federalists and caused conflicts with Spain, it was actually a step forward towards the respectable and prosperous country that many had envisioned the United States to be because it doubled the magnitude of opportunities, solved the initial conflict of attaining the port of New Orleans (thus continuing trade), removed France’s colonial power from North America, which made the United States the dominant influence in North America and, most significantly, secured new western territory, which led to westward expansion (Loos).
Has it ever occured to you how different the United States would be if Jeffferson never purchased the Louisiana Territory? Do you ever imagine the country separated into pieces and not one whole? Was it really important? In 1803 president Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte for $15,000,000. The Louisiana Purchase, which was 828,000 square miles included present day Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Some parts of Minnesota, North & South Dakora, Texas, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Louisiana, and parts of Canada which are now the provinces of Alberta & Saskatchewan. This doubled the size of the United States, and because they had no clue what was on this new land, The president sent Meriwether Lewis & William Clark to go on an expedition that lasted two years.
Lewis and Clark expedition - In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began an exciting adventure. They led a group of American explorers on a long trip. There were no cars or airplanes back then. The men used boats and horses. They went through the land in which only the Indian tribes lived. They left from the mouth of the Missouri River. They went all the way to the Pacific Ocean and back. They were called the Corps of Discovery. Their journey was almost 8,000 miles long. It took them two years to make. Part of the trip was along the Missouri River in what is now South. lewis and clark help they got from The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. Shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, a select group of U.S.
Lewis and Clark were explorers of America. After European explorers came to the ¨New Land,¨ Lewis and Clark helped to discover more land towards the West of America. It took Lewis and Clark two years and four months to voyage all the way across America. The reason they did this voyage was because of the Louisiana Purchase that America bought from French. This massive land purchase was about 827,000 acres of land. Lewis and Clark were sent by the President. His name was Thomas Jefferson and he sent them to discover their new land. But Lewis And Clark accidentally went too far and and discovered the land around the Louisiana Purchase. During their expedition they discovered over 122 different animal species. These new plant species included