Compare And Contrast Lewis And Clark

The Lewis and Clark expedition laid a foundation for future expansion to the West. This expedition ushered in a new idea of what America was and could be. These two men explored a new region, which no Americans, other than native peoples, had ever seen before. The reason they undertook this venture was to find a water way from the West to the Pacific Ocean; however, they had secondary reasons too. They intended to explore and find new things that had never been known or observed before. This was a very daring endeavor, and both men knew they would risk their lives on this expedition. Much like their President, they saw this opportunity was too great to pass on. They did not know what they would find. They may find gold, new lush lands,

The original name given to this expedition was given by Lewis. The name for the expedition would be known as “corps of volunteers for North Western Discovery.” Monday, May 14, 1804 was the first day of the expedition: they departed from the Wood River along with forty-two men. The supply of food they bought were, “coffee, salt pork, flour, cornmeal, and an incredible 120 gallons of whiskey—but for the most part the Expedition lived off the fat and the fruit of the land.” In Missouri, life was a little easier because they had the river to help. The river was “full of fish—catfish, bass, crappie, and walleye.” Their days began with hunters going out every morning to “shoot deer, turkeys, wild birds, and even bear.” However, hunting was not their primary source of food. For the most part they would live off of berries. Forty-four days later they had reached the mouth of the Kansas River. They had traveled four hundred miles, which was a nine mile per day average. Then 200 miles later, they would contact their first natives. President Jefferson had detailed instructions on how to treat them. He told them, “Treat them in the most friendly & conciliatory manner." Lewis and Clark would be in the company of the Natives from July 28 to April 7, 1805. They attempted to gain peace between themselves and the different tribes and obtain information on the journey they were undertaking. Lewis and Clark would

It offered a new wonder, which had not been seen since immigration to America. We had no idea what the West would hold or what opportunities we would find. We not only traveled to the Pacific Ocean, like President Jefferson wanted, but we also ascertained great scientific discoveries. In some ways, the West was conquered because of this expedition. We see a great migration West after the expedition is over, in which the old goes out and the new comes in. The West changes to what we want it to be: we removed the bison for the cow, we planted our corn, and the land was never to be the same again. America doubled in size. We made good use of the land, which we had gained. Unfortunately, we pushed the Natives further west, and soon there was no further west for them to move. Soon this caused a push back. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was one of the most important events in American History. The expansion Westward and the knowledge gained from the expedition was amazing. Without this expedition America would be a very different place