The Lewis and Clark Expedition from May 1804 to September 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States. It began near St. Louis, made its way westward, and passed through the continental divide to reach the Pacific coast. The Corps of Discovery comprised a selected group of U.S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark.
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
After acquiring the Louisiana Territory in 1803, the United States President Thomas Jefferson planned for expeditions in the new land. The land bought was huge and unknown for the Americans. Soon many Americans were going to live on this land so they had to know well the territory. For the expedition, Thomas Jefferson asked two former soldiers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore and map the west of North America. The president asked them to take notes of the soil, plants, animals and American Indians tribes they would find during the trip. He also wanted them to look after locations for trading posts and settlements.
In 1803, the third US President, Thomas Jefferson arranged for the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. This purchase faced a major problem which is that it was unconstitutional and wasn’t in the Amendment but later, the Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty. It was important to buy the Louisiana territory because this purchase added 827,000 square miles and doubled the size of the U.S. Also, It gave the U.S. control of the Mississippi River and the port city of New Orleans, both of which were used by farmers to ship their crops and get paid. In other words, it will make the U.S more powerful and prestigious and enhance their economy. The Lewis and Clark expedition was commissioned shortly after the Louisiana purchase by
In January,1803, even before the U.S. bought Louisiana, Jefferson convinced Congress to spend $2,500 on a western expedition. Jefferson chose army captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the exploration. Lewis chose William Clark, also and army officer, as his co leader. The men were ordered to report back on the geography, plants, and animals.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, it had a significant impact throughout American History. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson, as a highlight of his political career he initiated this expedition shortly after the Purchase of Louisiana and it was the first government-sponsored exploration. The goal of this expedition was to find a route across the continent to reach the Pacific Ocean and also make a general map of western terrain; to establish relationships with Native Americans and trade with different native tribes; to collect information of natural resources and to study on the wild animals and plants in the west. In 1804, a group of 33 American soldiers led by Meriwether Lewis, the commander
America doubled in size in 1803 when President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for 15 million dollars. Jefferson wanted to discover this land and hoped to find a water route that would link the pacific ocean with the mississippi river. Jefferson decided to enlist the help of his personal secretary and soldier, Meriwether Lewis. Lewis knew he couldn’t go on this journey alone and he knew just the man to join him on the journey. William Clark was a draftsman who possessed knowledge of the outdoors. Among Lewis and Clark, young american soldiers and french canadian river men were hand picked to tag along with them on their journey. York, Clark’s personal slave and companion since childhood, tagged along. Another person
Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the other members of the Corps of Discovery traveled 3,700 miles from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean in non-motorized boats, on horseback, and on foot. Not only did they have no cars or airplanes to travel in, they also had to do it with no reliable map. They also had a hard time eating normal foods. They eat un common foods such as, Bighorn sheep, Bears, Otters, Plovers, Wolves, and purchased Indian dogs. On September 23, 1806 when they came back, they came back with new knowledge that was about the new United States territory west of the Mississippi, the people, the land, the rivers, the mountains, and the plants and animals. Meriwether Lewis and Lewis Clark will go down in history as one of
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 Louisiana Purchase in April 1803 made the expedition more likely to happen, when the French sold the United States of America all of the Louisiana Purchase for about 15 million dollars at the time. Though “Thomas Jefferson's curiosity about the West
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.
May 14, 1804, finally the expedition, with approximately fifty companions, departed from St. Louis. The party followed the Missouri River, through Dakota, Montana, and over the Rocky Mountains. By December 1805, they had travelled the Colombia River and reached the Pacific Sea. Lewis and Clark saw wonders that no other American had seen before. On their journey home Sacajawea and her husband stayed, to live at the Shoshones
They left from St. Charles, Missouri and began the expedition on May 21, 1804. They were called The Corps of Discovery. It took them two years, four months, and ten days to travel from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back home again. This was one of the biggest discoveries that has ever happened.
The Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803, Thomas Jefferson had set a goal for himself to acquire this land from France, which increase the size of the U.S twice as big. In 1804, Thomas Jefferson send Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition to explore the west territory, he wanted them research the area’s plants, animals, and Native Americans. After their return they had allied with many indie tribes and had collected valuable information, Jefferson send out three other journeys in the west to associate with other tribes The American Promise book states that his goal “ to make Osage a strong trading partner…notions about what items to offer for trade…” (Johnson)He wanted to provide them agriculture development since the U.S now owned
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-
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.
When the Louisiana Purchase was made by Thomas Jefferson in 1802, nobody in the United States knew anything about the territory. Everyone had to know more about the huge land grant that was just purchased by the U.S. People took the challenge and went out to see the great land. Famous explorers are known for their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. Two famous explorers are known by many, Lewis and Clark. Although, there is one explorer that is less known but explored just as much area as Lewis and Clark. Zebulon Pike started his expedition of the Louisiana Purchase shortly after Lewis and Clark.