Essay on The Lewis and Clark Expedition

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.

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 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.

After the War of 1812, the United States started to expand westward, also known as the Westward Expansion. In April of 1803, the United States purchased Louisiana from the French. The United States bought this land from the French for fifteen million dollars. All the land gained from the Louisiana Purchased doubled the size of the country. Before citizens could begin to move West, Thomas Jefferson sent two men, Louis and Clark, on an expedition. Louis and Clark were sent to explore the new land and to map a route to the Pacific Ocean. Thomas Jefferson asked the men to keep careful records of this land and to bring back important information about the geography and the people, which they successfully did.

A two year long U.S expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark was classified as a U.S military expedition to explore the unknown territory, named the Louisiana Purchase along with the Pacific Northwest. The president at the time, Thomas Jefferson, sent out a message to congress asking for a monetary value of twenty five hundred to send men on an expedition. Lewis worked as Thomas Jefferson's personal secretary which played a big role in why he was chosen to go on the expedition. Before the two year journey was able to happen Louis had to learn a few skills that would help him as the explored. One of the skill she learned was celestial navigation, which is navigation using the placement of stars in

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

But he would need an exploration of the west. So Jefferson hired a acquaintance of his secretary a U.S army member Meriwether Lewis to do this; who later hired William Clark to be a co captain of the trip. After the trip they gathered maps of the land, climate observations, food vegetation in the area, and Indians and other people.After learning of the Louisiana Purchase it was Pike’s dream too set off on such an adventure. Pike covered 5,000 miles in 9 months gathering information on Spanish territories and army locations, British activity going against the John Jay treaty, and finally Indian treaties like the Friendship

The president and congress authorized for army officers Meriwether Lewis, Jefferson’s personal secretary, and William Clark, to head an expedition. Lewis and Clark would need a guide, someone who knew the lands and one who could bring them home safely.

To map out this territory to for Jefferson’s “envisioned trade route across Western America to the Pacific Ocean,” he selected the explorer, Meriwether Lewis, to explore and bring back information about the new land. “For three years Lewis and Jefferson spent evenings discussing and planning the logistics and goals of an expedition. Those goals were multi-faceted, with both scientific and economic intentions.” Jefferson gave Lewis these instructions for the expedition: “The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, and such principal stream of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." “Beginning at the mouth of the Missouri, you will take careful observations of latitude & longitude, at all remarkable points on the river, & especially at the mouths of rivers, at rapids, at islands, & other places & objects distinguished by such natural marks & characters of a durable kind." Also, Lewis was instructed by Jefferson “to try to establish positive relationships with the American Indians populating the region: ‘The commerce which may be carried on with the people inhabiting the line you will pursue, renders a knolege of those people important.’”3 [“The River of Lewis and Clark.”

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

President Thomas Jefferson knew very little about the territory acquired with the Louisiana Purchase. He wondered if one of the rivers in the newly acquired territory flowed westward to the Pacific Ocean. He chose two men to explore this new territory. One was Meriwether Lewis, his secretary and the other was William Clark, an army officer.

It goes without saying that the legacy of Thomas Jefferson as President has been an intellectually consistent one throughout American History. Of his many accomplishments- from being the primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence, to being a man of enlightenment- Jefferson's impressive guidance of foreign diplomacy resulting in the Louisiana Purchase was one of the most iconic events throughout the first administration of his presidency. Since Thomas Jefferson upheld the agrarian ideal, he had desired to expand the United States; and with the purchase of the Louisiana territory, not only did the expansion nearly double the amount of United States territory , but it further established his vision of a “New Empire of Liberty.” More importantly, after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, this led Jefferson to commission the iconic expedition of the American West, the Corps of Discovery, commonly popularized throughout American lore as the Expedition of Lewis and Clark.

The Lewis and Clark expedition, or Corps of Discovery, began with the Louisiana Purchase. After the Louisiana Territory was in the possession of the United States, President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on a trip west to learn more about the new area. The goals of the expedition were to study the Native Americans living in the area as well as the plants, animals, and land of the region. Most importantly, Jefferson wanted the expedition to find out if there was a river that connected the Pacific Ocean to the eastern states. The Corps of Discovery set out on their mission in May 1804 and traveled up the Missouri River.