During the Jeffersonian era in American history expansion of the United States was ever present. Under the presidency of Jefferson, this was no exception. In 1803, Jefferson purchased a large tract of land west of the Mississippi river that was owned by France. Jefferson jumped at this opportunity to expand the country, encourage farming, and trade. Even before the Louisiana Purchase Jefferson wanted to explore what was west of the Mississippi. But because of the relations of the countries who owned or inhabited the territory it could potentially be hostile. So when this territory became available Jefferson wanted it. Before it was officially purchased Jefferson wanted a group of men to go explore this territory and write about the flora, fauna, soil, and if there was an economic trade route to the ocean. To lead this group Jefferson enlisted his personal secretary Meriwether Lewis. Lewis then chose men who he deemed fit for the endeavor, one of which was William Clark who would be captain alongside Lewis. Once the Corps of Discovery spent the first winter …show more content…
This act of recognition is not to be confused with being an actual guide for the Corps of Discovery. When the men heard about Sacagawea recognizing the rock it boosted their spirits after an definitive choice. Although Sacagawea did misinterpret or misunderstand when Clark asked her how to say “Friends” in Shoshone, instead she told him the word for stranger which is “tab-bab-bone”.The Native American turned around and was out of sight, This would be the last Native American they would see for a bit. Clark believed that it was possible they would never get the horses because of this interaction. Once Lewis and Clark did find the Shoshones Sacagawea proved her worth even more. She, along with two other people, interpreted the Shoshone language into Hidatsa language which then would be translated by her husband into French and then into english by a member of the expedition team,
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.
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
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.
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-
The topic of territorial expansion of the United States was a controversial and widely discussed matter during the first half of the 17th century. America was expanding in size and economically prospering as a result. The expansionist surge began with Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803. This massive attainment of land left many politicians and influential figures unsatisfied -- hungry for as much wealth as possible to acquire. They believed increasing ownership of land would increase power. However, some staunchly opposed westward expansion for ethical and strategic reasons. Debates over further acquisition of territory increased and became progressively more intense. The two sides clashed in attempt to succeed in shaping federal policy in their favor.
The nineteenth century had plenty to offer for Americans. If exploring the newfound terrain was not enough, settlers in the states dealt with wars going on between--not only foreign countries, but within the United States itself. The United States began their expansion westward. With help from congress, the Corps of Discovery was initiated in 1803 and famous explorers such as Lewis and Clark set out to explore new found terrain west of the Appalachian Mountains (EAH. pg 237). This new found territory was known as the Louisiana Purchase. Thomas Jefferson, an advocate of westward expansion relentlessly bought the Louisiana Territory from France for fifteen million dollars. Ultimately the purchase of the Louisiana Territory was the first stepping stone for the nation to continue moving west. Many
The Louisiana Purchase affected the boundaries of the U.S. because when Jefferson bought the land, the boundaries were not clear. Spain claimed the border was about one hundred miles west of the Mississippi River, while Jefferson was under the impression that it was around eight hundred miles further west, which was defined by the crest of the Rocky Mountains. This lead to four different government-funded expeditions. The first was in 1804 when Lewis and Clark led an expedition westward to determine the upper reaches of the Missouri River. Throughout the expedition Lewis and Clark were instructed to study the Indian culture, such as plants and animals. They were able to explore the Indian culture when they stayed their first winter in huts beside the Mandan Indians. Without the help from the Indians they would not have survived the winter. They also had to draw out the geography of the West. After the treacherous journey, they reached the Pacific Ocean on November 7, 1805. They made their journey back to St. Louis and arrived back in September 1806. The other three expeditions that took place between 1804 and 1806 were to determine the southwestern border. The first group went down the Red River to the Ouachita River, ending in current-day Arkansas. The second group went west into eastern Texas along the Red River and the third group ended up going too far into the Spaniard’s Territory, which caused them to get arrested and then released soon after.
This purchase was worth $15 million in 1803. The land stretched from places such as the Mississippi River, Rocky Mountains, and the Gulf of Mexico. This was one of the United States first steps in expanding the country and exploring the unknown. Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and and William Clark to complete this task. The expedition, known as the Corps of Discovery, helped America gain valuable information. Some of this information regarded the geography, American Indian tribes and discoveries of new animal and plant life. Jefferson chose to buy the Louisiana purchase because he thought that Napoleon might withdraw the offer which would not allow the U.S. to buy New Orleans. By purchasing the town of New Orleans and surrounding territory, that created more secure trading routes for the
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson ordered Meriwether Lewis to be the leader of the discovery and William Clark to be his co-leader. They were to travel into the Louisiana Territory that they had purchased and learn more about the geography and to develop knowledge about the future expansion of the fur trade. Jefferson made supplies available such as clothing, firearms, and equipment which was set at a fixed amount. They were to observe and track the entire area and find out where they could find resources and stable settlement. Much of the land was unidentified but, Jefferson wanted to increase the amount of land to the Pacific to make the American claim more powerful. The expedition began in December of 1803 and Clark enlisted and instructed men near
It can be interpreted that Jefferson's views for westward expansion were that expansion was inevitable. That not only was it the economically smart thing for the country to do, but also the necessary, as the number of people grew in the country and the need for more land and resources grew with it. He offers two main solutions in regard to the growing tension between the Americans and Natives; one, being to effectively convince the natives to switch from a hunter lifestyle to a farmer and manufacturer one, where there would be less need for forests to hunt and more for the available space for fields and agriculture; an two, to encourage and better develop commerce and trade within the Native American communities so that they'd see the benefits
Jefferson wanted Lewis and Clark to make contact with Native Americans who lived in the Louisiana Territory. The president also wanted Lewis and Clark to find out if a waterway existed between the Mississippi River and the Pacific
It all started in 1803 when the French ,who owned most of middle America, decided to sell their land to Thomas Jefferson, who was president at the time. They sold it for a bargain price of $15000,m that might seem like a lot but really it is just about 3 cents an acre.With this new, unexplored land Jefferson turned to his friend lewis to plan the journey and map it, bring back scientific information and meet and make friendly relationships with the natives on the way. Jefferson considered Lewis as the “best man for the job”. Lewis decided to ask one of his friends to join him, Clark. Lewis chose Clark because he knew Clark was someone he could count on. In the time before the expedition would start,
President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and to map the newly acquired territory, to find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and to establish an American
As a President Thomas Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Which led the United States to purchase over 800,000,000 square miles in the territory from France. Then the Louisianan Purchase doubled the Size of the United States. When Thomas succeeded this he sent two men to explore which we know today as the Adventures of Louis and Clark.
President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery Expedition which was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, to explore the territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, among other objectives. This started in 1803. The United States purchased approximately 828,000,000 square miles of territory from France, thereby they were doubling the size of the young republic. Which during this time was a very very big piece of land. The United States also only paid around, $15 million, which Thomas Jefferson could not afford. This of course did not make France very happy, and they tried to take it back.