Lewis and Clark Expedition

Louis. From there they sailed up to the Wood River where they established Camp Dubois for the winter. Lewis and Clark completed their preparation during the winter by buying supplies, over hauling their boats, drilling their men, and completing their roster. A total of twenty-five soldiers and twenty civilian boatmen, guides, and hunters were selected for the expedition. Lewis estimated this journey would last at least two years. Finally on May 14, 1804 the expedition began.

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.

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 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 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.

On May 14th, 1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark start their three year expedition across the Louisiana Purchase. They started in Camp River Dubois, east of the Mississippi river. They sailed all the way up the Missouri river. When the Great Falls came up, they had to get out of the boat and split up. William Clark and four dozen other men went on the

In 1804 I was asked by Thomas Jefferson to go to our newly purchase the Louisiana territory. I left in 1804 with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find a northwest passage and tell the Native Americans that we own the newly purchased Louisiana territory. Lewis, Clark, and I also found many new plants and animal life. After we discovered that there was not a northwest passage we started going back home. This expedition was very long it took us 2 years and 4 months.

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.

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

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.

Many people in America know of the historical expedition of Lewis and Clark, but only a few know of the expedition to California led by Jedediah Smith. This expedition took place after Thomas Jefferson signed the papers to acquire a huge region in the west through the Louisiana Purchase. After this expansion many people were eager to explore the west and among those was Jedediah Smith. From his childhood, Smith dreamed one day of exploring the unknown west part of the United States. He once said, "I wanted to be the first to view a country on which the eyes of a white man had never gazed and to follow the course of rivers that run through a new land." In 1824, Jedediah Smith began formulating his famous California expedition that

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.

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 group that helped William Clark and Meriwether Lewis were called Corps of Discovery by many historians. They faced many dangers like meeting the Native Americans and bringing unprepared for the weather. Along their way, they met many Native Americans who helped them to survive. They knew that meeting a different group of Native American could be deadly. Along the way they picked up Sacajawea who was a part of the Shoshone Indian who acted as their interrupter and guide along their voyage. While Sacajawea was helping Lewis and Clark on their expedition she gave birth to a child. They reached the Pacific Ocean on November 1805. They stayed along the Pacific Coast and built shelter for the winter. In 1806 Lewis and Meriwether took different routes one by boat and one by foot. While Lewis was exploring the Land by his feet he was robbed by Indian and shot by one of his men hunting. Thankfully, Lewis and Meriwether met up. Throughout their journey they traveled nearly 8,000 miles.

Lewis and Clark paved the way for exploration of the western part of the Americas along with introducing new ideas about travel and people of the area. If it weren't for Lewis and Clark most of western America would have been left uncharted for many years to follow. The journey to discover a land route to access the Pacific ocean was rough but it had many benefits. Through the exploration many new plants, animals and tribes were discovered. The duo are true heros when it comes to exploration because they were able to work together to do what was required of them as they journeyed across unexplored land.