Lewis and Clark expedition: exploration and discovery

Lewis and Clark Expedition

The reasons that the Lewis and Clark expedition were very important in history include the reasons why Jefferson arranged the journey, the expectations of the expedition, the members of the Corps of Discovery, and the overall achievements made by the expedition.

Why Jefferson wanted the West

It was a really long distance to travel

States allowed access to Louisiana

Louisiana obtained through Louisiana purchase

New Orleans had access to world through port

Land important status symbol

Jefferson and Washington both Virginia land owners

Vision of coast to coast land united

Preparing for the Expedition

Earlier explorer had made the journey

B. Congress made decision

Expedition would have twelve men

Would have budget of $2,500

Group would need wide knowledge

Botany

Geology

Wildlife

Mapping terrain

Establishment of group

A. Dubbed "The Corp of Discovery"

B. Jefferson elected Captain Meriwether Lewis

C. Clark elected partner William Clark

D. Clark brought Black slave York

E. Joined later by Native American woman Sacagawea

F. Only member to die on trip was Sergeant Charles Floyd

IV. The Journey

A. Began May 14 from Camp Dubois

B. Followed Missouri River

C. Camped at Fort Mandan for first winter

D. Traveled west, crossed Rocky Mountains

E. Reached West coast in December 1805

F. Spent second winter at Fort Clatsop

G. Back home September 1806

V. Achievements

A. Knowledge of West

1. Rivers

2. Mountains

3. Terrain

B. New Species

1, Plants

2. Animals

C. Paved way for American expansion

1. Fur trade

2. Naive American contact

3. claims on Western territories

D. Would guide Pioneers on part of Oregon Trail

E. Social Achievement through voting

1. Black slave

2. Native American woman

VI. Conclusion.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 1800s has become more than a historical event; it is a symbol of the expansion of America. This expedition was sent by the President to learn everything about the land and the things and people that could be found there after America had gained a large amount of land to the West. Lewis and Clark were not the first explorers to cross North America by land, in fact it had been done about a decade before by another explorer, but this expedition was monumental in many ways. The reasons that the Lewis and Clark expedition were very important in history include the reasons why Jefferson arranged the journey, the expectations of the expedition, the members of the Corps of Discovery, and the overall achievements made by the expedition.

President Thomas Jefferson had a very important plan in mind for the western states that he sent Lewis and Clark to explore. Today, it is easy to travel from one side of the country to another by use of cars, trains, or airplanes, but in the early 1800s horseback was the fastest means of travel available. Jefferson actually had some expectations that the states obtained beyond the Appalachian mountains would become their own nation. The reason these states were important to America, even if they were not going to remain a part of the same country, is because they would provide access to New Orleans in Louisiana, where there would be access to a port that would access the rest of the world. Jefferson had just obtained Louisiana in the Louisiana Purchase. Also, Jefferson, like George Washington, was a land owner from Virginia, and having a lot of land was held in very high importance to them. He owned many thousands of acres of land, and he felt it was important to continue expanding land wise. Jefferson also wanted the land to the West because he could envision an empire that reached from one side of the continent to another, which was held together by similar political ideology. For all of these reasons, Jefferson sent out the Lewis and Clark expedition to discover everything about the West, taking a journey that at that time seemed like a very long distance. (Ambrose)

The Lewis and Clark expedition lasted for two years, from 1804 to 1806, and while some of the preparations had been made for such a journey and therefore it was not the first journey made across the continent, it was the first American expedition across land that would travel to the Pacific coast and return to the East coast. Congress, under orders from President Jefferson, made the decision to send up to twelve men to explore the land all the way to the West coast, and provided a budget of $2,500. The group was going to need to study every detail about the land, including the Native American tribes which already resided on the land. Additionally, the group would need to have a working knowledge of botany, geology, and wildlife, and record information about all of these things. In addition to Native Americans, it was expected that hunters from French-Canada and Britain were active in some Western areas, and the expedition would be expected to evaluate their influence in the areas. Finally, they would need to be able to accurately map out the terrain of the land. (Rick et al.)

The expedition would eventually be called the Corps of Discovery, and would have between thirty and forty members in total. Jefferson himself selected the leader for the group, a captain named Meriwether Lewis. Lewis was allowed to select his own partner, and chose William Clark. An interesting fact about Clark is that although he was known by the other members of the expedition, as well as by many history books, as a captain, he was in fact only a Lieutenant, apparently because of delays in Army paperwork. Also on the mission was York, who was the Black slave of Clark. Later on the journey, they would be joined by a Native American woman names Sacagawea, who was of the Shoshone/Hidasta tribe. Sergeant Charles Floyd is an important part of the group as well, for he was the only casualty on the entire trip, and his death was apparently caused by appendicitis, not by any great adventure. (Rick et al.)

The journey began on May 14, and departed from Camp Dubois. The Missouri River was followed West, and by the first winter they arrived at Fort Mandan where they spent the winter. This is where they met Sacagawea. After the winter, they traveled through was is now Kansas City, then Omaha. The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed the Rocky Mountains, and also traveled by the Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia Rivers. They reached the Pacific Ocean near where Portland is today in December, 1805. They built Fort Clatsop on the south side of the Columbia River to stay in for the winter, where they prepared food and supplies for the trip home. The trip home started in March of 1806, and they arrived home in September. (Rick et al.)