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Comparison Of Lewis And Clark Expedition

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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

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