Lewis And Clark Expedition : Analysis

They slowly made their way up river with their crew spread out on three boats at the start of this expedition. On slow days they covered four miles and on a good day they covered up to twenty miles. On an average it was about ten miles covered a day. The two captains divided their duties. Clark stayed on the keelboat and managed the men, compass readings, and the distance traveled. Lewis went ashore with his dog almost every day to gather plants, take soil samples, and taking note of the good sites for future settlements. By June 26th, they had traveled forty-three days and four hundred miles. By July 21st, they had traveled six hundred forty miles. One of the first Indian tribes they encountered was the Oto Indian tribe. Instructions from President Jefferson were that they would make friends with the Indians. Lewis and Clark were very careful in advising them that their land now belonged to the United States. After leaving the Oto Indians, the

In May of 1804, two men set out on an important journey that would take them across the country and discover new land, but none of it would have been possible without the aid of one woman. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was planned by Thomas Jefferson, in order to explore the unknown in the newly purchased Louisiana Territory, and also to find a water route across the continent. Along the way the group of men met a quiet native, named Sacagawea, whose impact would later have a large effect on the success of their important journey.

In two years, Lewis, Clark, and all of the men that traveled with them did the impossible. They mapped the territory, collected ample samples of flora and fauna, and made peace with the various Indian tribes, all while keeping more than thirty men alive in the wilderness. If they hadn’t been efficient packers and effective diplomats, none of this would have been possible. Their journey was a huge success, and all of the men made it back alive, despite risking themselves several times by splitting up. The journey of Lewis and Clark will be remembered for centuries to come, and rightfully so.

The exploration of Lewis and Clark into the Louisiana Purchase had a great impact on the United States. During the exploration, they encountered Native American tribes, who exchanged items with them, and new species of plants and animals.

The members of the expedition were always on the lookout for Indians and hoping they would come in peace. They were armed in case they weren't. For security, Lewis and Clark made camp on river isla nds whenever possible and kept guards there at night. By the end of July they had traveled more than 600 miles up the river and still hadn't met an Indian.

In Jedediah Smith’s Journals, smith talks about one encounter with the Indians that resulted in a dead horse. One morning smith woke up and Indain told them that some Indians killed and ate one of his horses. Throughout the trip Smith’s party was at risk for dehydration because they had to cross deserts, where there was not water for a long time. Jedediah Smith explains in his journals that one time, his guides told the him and his party that they were a multiple days of travel away from the next water source. Because of the length away from the next source of water, Smith decided to and wait till the sun went down and travel at night. Also traveling through the desert the party had to combat the lack of food. To combat this starvation the Smith’s men had to pack three horse loads of meat. The trip to California would have never been successful if it was not for the men’s ability to push through the tough times to reach the common goal of the group. Throughout this trip, the explorers kept running out of water.

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.

Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark put their lives on the line only to return with information regarding the Pacific Northwest of the United States territory. Their reasons behind this journey, being to expand the United States to the West, involved the entire nation but debatably, their accomplishments and the reaction of others became a major part of today’s history.

On May 14, 1804 in the eastern city of Saint Louis, William Clark and Merry-weather Lewis set of on the westward adventure that would change America as we know it today. Their journey began on the Mississippi River, those rapids would propel Lewis and Clark into the "Corps of Discovery". Across the vast land that these men would soon travel lived the many native-american tribes. The Native people hunted freely across their western lands, lived their life as one with the ground they so carefully treaded on. Soon, the great American adventurers and the native people would meet, but one brought with them the foreshadowing of a new era. An era when American life would be greatly improved with new natural resources and plentiful free land, but only at the cost of ruining the native american people of their way of life. The Lewis and Clark Expedition expanded the knowledge and lifestyle of America but began the elimination of the original American natives way of life and culture.

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 year of 1803 significantly changed our nation eternally. It stunned many people. In no way, shape or form, did we ever believe that our nation would expand so rapidly. What started with the small purchase of New Orleans led into the substantial purchase of the Louisiana Territory. This was a purchase that will make Thomas Jefferson a man to be remembered. Although, he wasn’t the only man who impacted the United States during this time period. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are the two men that are greatly known for their expedition across the Louisiana Territory. These two subjects, the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, altered our nation immeasurably.

He chose his military superior, William Clark, to join him and from there Clark selected a handful of men from the Kentucky area. Lewis was classified as the captain of the journey but when in private he would also refer to Clark as captain since they both did equal amounts of work. The group of men that Clark gathered to accompany them on their journey endured training in Illinois to prepare. Lewis left the job of training men to Clark while he gathered weaponry and supervised a construction project that would be needed on their

.On the expedition, Sacagawea made a discovery. While traveling on the expedition they encountered a group of Shoshone Indians, she soon realized that the leader of this group was her brother Cameahwait. Despite this “family reunion” , Sacagawea stayed with Lewis and Clark for the trip west. Sacagawea, her husband, and their son remained with the expedition on the return trip east until they reached the Mandan villages. During this journey, Clark became fond of her son and gave him the nickname “pompey”. Clark even offered to help give him a

I believe Lewis and Clark is one of the best locations for a school in the country: the campus is in the middle of the forest yet Portland is just 10 minutes away. Portland is an unique city which offers many opportunities for students looking at internships and job opportunities. Lewis and Clark is also an amazing location for exploring the outdoors. As an individual who loves the outdoors, the campus offers unparalleled access to nature. I am intrigued by many different subjects and the liberal arts education offered at Lewis and Clark is a means to exploring everything. Finally, because of the diversity of the student body, and variety of states and countries represented I am interested in attending Lewis and Clark. College is an