The Importance Of The Lewis And Clark Expedition

Lewis and Clark went on their journey to explore the western region of what is now known as

This paper will explain why Lewis and Clark are two of the greatest explorers in American history. Some of the distinguishing factors of these explorers and the three main points in this paper are their exploration of the uncharted west by way of the Missouri river, the many discoveries made along the way, and the effect they had on the westward expansion of the United States.

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 Lewis and Clark expedition was amongst one of the first major American expeditions. This expedition helped the United States advance in science, land as well as gaining many valuable resources. The Lewis and Clark expedition is also an amazing American story. Lewis and Clark went through extraordinary situations to expedite Americas growth and science. They accomplished this expedition with strenuous encounters with the Native Americans.The importance of the Lewis and Clark expedition is derived by the challenges they faced, the encounters they had with Western Indians, and the knowledge gained about the Louisiana territory.

This report is on Lewis and Clark's adventure through the United States. On May 14,1803 William Clark and nearly four dozen other men met up with Meriwether Lewis on May 20. The Lewis and Clark

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 Lewis and Clark expedition had many beneficial economic effects on the arising American country. The newly charted territory began the great Western expansion of the American people. The first to travel to the West were the fur traders. The American Fur trade was described as, "a distinct and necessary phase in the growth of this new country" (Legends of America). The fur trading became a booming business and attracted the attention of many American civilians. The West was seen as a new

The foremost reason behind the Lewis and Clark expedition was all based on Thomas Jefferson’s, president at the time, interest in expanding the West since before the 1803 Louisiana Purchase in France. Even as a child, Jefferson was always curious and interested. Jefferson believed that if he could enlarge the United States to the West it would be guaranteed that the United States would survive and would have a stronger government. Thomas Jefferson had chosen various candidates to send to explore to the West, due to him being busy being the president. Each candidate Jefferson chose, did not seem to be fit for the job. In around 1802, Jefferson read a book on Alexander Mackenzie who previous traveled from Canada to the Pacific Ocean and then back. After reading the book he told his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, about the book and Mackenzie’s accomplishments. Lewis decided to take the challenge of following the footsteps of Alexander Mackenzie and make that same journey. Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis to Philadelphia to be tutored and taught to survive during the journey. Lewis then hand-picked

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.

This expedition was o significant because the new information and marvel of the West fascinated the American people and made them start to think of it as a fantasyland. Lewis and Clark documented lost of interesting and different flora and fauna as well as beautiful landscape that would cause them to deem the West as a land of opportunity that needed to be explored and settled

The influence of the “Manifest Destiny” and the possible economic rewards were the driving force behind Jefferson’s desire to send Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to go on a three year expedition westwards to the Pacific Ocean in August of 1803. While the journey to the West provided Lewis and Clark was one that was both fascinating and difficult, the journey back home was one that was filled with obstacles. Some of the difficulties faced on the journey home can be attributed to the climate and topography of the land which are recorded in the journals of Lewis and Clark.

The changes brought on by these new explorers were vast ranging from depletion of local population due to unfamiliar European diseases to new settlements to increased harvesting of resources. There were also treaties made with the native Indians for land or goods. Still seeking the Northwest Passage, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began an expedition to the Oregon coast in 1804. While still failing to find that passage, they do explore more of the west and PNW than anyone up to that time. Among journals of native plants, native people, and many maps that opened the way for settlers, Lewis and Clark opened the way for trade with their revelation that the

expanded west and claimed land in the midwest for people to colonize. The Corps of Discovery had befriended may indian tribes and had come to be able to trade with them that they had words that they said yes i want to trade and no which helped many settlers survive. In addition to trading with the indians, “They knew they were going to encounter the shoshone and they needed horses to cross the mountains and they needed to negotiate with the shoshone for those horses. ”(Doc