Meriwether Lewis/Clark Expedition
In the summer of 1803, Meriwether Lewis and his friend William Clark set off on their journey to the small town of St. Louis. It was at this town that Lewis and Clark would begin the exploration with their group, the Corps of Discovery, down the Missouri river and hopefully across the continent. When they reached the town in the winter of 1803, the two of them waited for President Thomas Jefferson to approve of the Louisiana Purchase that would grant the United States the Louisiana Territory. In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was approved and the Corps of Discovery consisting of the leader, Meriwether Lewis; the coleader, William Clark; Clark’s slave, York; and more than 48 other members were finally allowed to begin their expedition. Under …show more content…
From the start of their, Lewis and Clark embraced their old abilities and were regularly documenting the new features that Louisiana held. While Lewis was creating highly detailed maps of the land, Clark spent his time on land, documenting previously undiscovered animals (pictured below), plants, and geographic features. The expedition started smoothly, and by the end of July, the group had traveled more than 600 miles on the river. However, to the group’s unease, not one Indian had been seen or encountered. That was until the beginning of August, when the Corps of Discovery was finally given the opportunity to make a good first impression on the Native Americans. It was on August second that the Corps of Discovery encountered a small group of Oto and Missouri Indians. The interaction between the two groups went peacefully; gifts were exchanged as was valuable information. The Indians gave warning to the travelers that the Sioux Indians, one of the most powerful tribes in the Louisiana Territory, would have a much different, harsher reaction to the group’s presence. The Corps of Discovery made note of this and continued on their journey with more caution than before. The group was now headed into the Great Plains, the area dominated by the Sioux
How Did Lewis And Clark Affect The Development Of Native Americans?
732 Words | 3 PagesTo follow the rules of his superiors, Lewis and Clark documented everything they came across: “The captains and at least five others kept journals. President Jefferson had instructed Lewis to make observations of latitude and longitude and to take detailed notes about the soil, climate, animals, plants, and native peoples. Lewis identified 178 plants new to science, including bitterroot, prairie sagebrush, Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine, as well as 122 animals, such as grizzly bear, prairie dog, and pronghorn antelope. The scientific names Philadelphus lewisii (mock orange), Lewisia rediva (bitterroot), and Clarkia pucella (pink fairy, or ragged robin) are but three examples of the men’s discoveries” (Buckley). The documentation of the area allowed others to understand the geography of the United States.
Why Is The Louisiana Purchase Important In American History
822 Words | 4 PagesBeing the president, Jefferson had wanted the recently gained land to be explored to be aware of what it contained. As a result, the United States' government provide money to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark for exploration. This was known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition which had taken place from May 1804 to November 1805 when Lewis and Clark explored the territory. Stated by Heather LeBlanc, “Along the way they charted trails, mapped river and mountain ranges, collected samples and wrote descriptions of unfamiliar plants and animals, and recorded facts about the Native American tribes they encountered along their journey.” The discovery of these untapped resources allowed the Americans to make profit by selling them to other country’s that did not contain them.
Meriwether Lewis: The Corps Of Discovery
180 Words | 1 PagesBorn August 18, 1774; Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, politician, public administrator, and the leader of the Louisiana expedition group known as the Corps of Discovery. During the first few years of his life, Meriwether grew up on his family’s estate in Ivy Creek, Virginia. After the death of Meriwether’s father in 1779, Meriwether’s mother Lucy Meriwether remarried to John Marks who later moved the family to Broad River Valley, Georgia in 1780. At his new home, Meriwether was influenced by his love for natural history and spent most of his time improving his skills as an outdoorsman, and it is said that he would go out hunting with his dogs at the age of eight. Meriwether’s mother who was a regionally-known herbalist
How Did Lewis And Clark Change Us History
54 Words | 1 PagesLewis and Clark were known for an incredible journey that changed US history. The journey increased the size of the US dramatically. From May 14, 1804, to September 23, 1806, a dangerous but yet history changing exploration occurred. Through many dangerous situations and hardships, the expedition of Lewis and Clark turned out a success.
Missouri History: A Brief Biography Of The William Clark Expedition
808 Words | 4 PagesThe United States just bought the Louisiana Territory and they wanted to send people to explore the land west of the Mississippi River. In 1803, William got a letter from his best friend, Meriwether Lewis, inviting him to go on a expedition with him
Compare And Contrast Lewis And Clark
1117 Words | 5 PagesFor almost 105 days of travel, Lewis and Clark charted many maps and noted many foreign plants and animals. During the expedition, Lewis and Clark kept an almost day-by-day journal that documented the numerous events and observations of the trip. Lewis identified 177 plants and 122 animals on the trek to the Pacific. Bitterroot, prairie sagebrush, Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine were some of the numerous plants identified by Lewis. In one of Lewis’s journal entries, the group encountered many prairie dogs, as well as rattlesnakes: “[he] found two frogs in the hole, and killed a dark rattlesnake near with a ground rat [or prairie dog] in him.
Comparison Of The Lewis And Clarke Expedition
1486 Words | 6 PagesThe Lewis and Clarke Expedition took place in 1804 and lasted two years. Explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, led this expedition in order to gather information on new territory that was yet to be explored. Appointed by James Monroe, Lewis and Clark made their journey through the American interior to the Pacific Northwest. On their way there, they ran into two interpreters that aided them along the way: Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. Accompanied by these two individuals, Lewis and Clark were able to make a successful trip back to their town and publish the journals that they documented during this trip.
Compare And Contrast Lewis And Clark
494 Words | 2 PagesLewis and Clark “began the American invasion of the west,” (). They fulfilled “many of Jefferson’s wishes for the expedition,” (). Along the journey, Clark “drew a series of maps that were remarkably detailed, noting and naming rivers and creeks, writing down the spots where they camped and writing down new discoveries they made,” (). Lewis and Clark's’ adventure was successful in many ways because they
Compare And Contrast Washington And Thomas Jefferson
1923 Words | 8 PagesThe Lewis and Clark Expedition Jefferson and the nation now needed to know what lay in the land that they had just purchased. Americans knew that indigenous people lived in the territory but they knew little about them or the ecology and geography of the lands west of the Mississippi. Jefferson commissioned his personal assistant, former army captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the Corps of Discovery expedition of 50 men westward, Lewis chose his friend Lieutenant William Clark to
Thomas Jefferson Pros And Cons
1490 Words | 6 PagesAt more than 820,000 square miles, the acquisition (which included lands extending between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively doubled the size of the United States. Jefferson then commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the uncharted land, plus the area beyond, out to the Pacific Ocean. (At the time, most Americans lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean). The expedition, known today as the Corps of Discovery, lasted from 1804 to 1806 and provided valuable information about the geography, American Indian tribes and animal and plant life of the western part of the
How Did Thomas Jefferson Explore Western Expansion
554 Words | 3 Pages"Lewis & Clark Expedition." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. "Thomas Jefferson."
Lewis And Clark Expedition Analysis
530 Words | 3 PagesMembers chosen for the expedition were sought after for skills that included hunting, blacksmithing, and gunsmithing, making United States Army soldiers a good option for crew who traveled by land, water and horseback, for nearly 8,000 miles over mountains, through plains and by rivers (The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 2016). The success of the Lewis and Clark expedition was important to science, as they made important observations about the land of North America that lead to creation of maps with Captain Clark having the duty of mapping the landscape because of his experience: the result of maps made by Clark became one of the most important achievements of the western exploration. (The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 2016). The scientific information collected on geography, meteorology, cultures, and animal life and plant life were greatly important to the nation (Corps of Discover, 2016). The trip also was partially useful in creating peaceful relations with the American Indians in territories of the Northwest, although not all tribes were accepting of the gestures, giving gifts was important to building peaceful relationships with the American Indians (The Corp of Discovery, 2016).
Sacagawea's Contribution To The Lewis And Clark Expedition
686 Words | 3 PagesSacagawea’s exploration with Lewis and Clark in The Corps of Discover Expedition made an impact on the United States and its decisions on exploration and expansion. Sacagawea was a Shoshone interpreter who greatly contributed to the Lewis and Clark Expedition .She knew some of the geography they passed through, and interpreted when the expedition came across Shoshone-speaking American Indians. Sacagawea identified roots, plants, and berries that were medicinal or edible along the journey, helping Lewis and Clark identify things about this new land. Sacagawea is a significant part of the Corps of Discover Expedition because she contributed to helping build relationships between American Indians and White Americans. She also helped the discovery of new geography, plant and animal species, which in turn made new things
How Did Lewis And Clark Encounter With Native Americans
547 Words | 3 PagesAfter the purchase of the Louisiana territory from the french, Thomas Jefferson has sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this new land, in hopes of locating useful resources, mapping territory and setting out a trade route toward the pacific ocean. So then set the long, treacherous trail Lewis and Clark has embarked on, encountering foreign environment and Native Americans. Who they eventually have started to disrespect them, by their act of violence, and motivation of cultural cleansing, therefore causing an act against different tribes. While Lewis and Clark ventured deeper into the west of this new American land. They encounter a large variety of Native Americans and started to act a behavior of aggression towards them.
Graduation Speech: The Meriwether Lewis And William Clark Expedition
362 Words | 2 PagesWe have finished. We finished the journey. Today is the day that will go down in history books. Everyone will remember the Meriwether Lewis and William Clark expedition. They’ll call it “one of the greatest expeditions of all time.”
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