Lewis and Clark: historical overview and achievements

Lewis and Clark

Who were Lewis and Clark? Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were explorers and naturalists who accepted President Thomas Jefferson's assignment to explore the northwest region of the United States. Lewis was said to be a smart and skilled outdoorsman, a hunter, a horseman, and a man who enjoyed hiking. Lewis was a fairly close neighbor of Jefferson and had been assigned to Jefferson as a young secretary-aid while Lewis was an army captain. Clark was four years older than Lewis, but he was also skilled in the ways of hunting, exploring and other outdoors-related activities. Both men were courageous and resourceful, exactly the qualities that Jefferson needed for this important mission.

The two men were said to be very different as personalities, however. Lewis had more education and was more philosophical about life; Lewis was more romantic and he had lofty, abstract ideas. Clark, on the other hand, was far more pragmatic and while he was also an army officer, he got along well with Lewis. Lewis was chosen by Jefferson to be the commander of the expedition.

What do I think of these two men? They were very impressive people, and in addition to their important roles in the discovery of new places, they stand out among many American heroes because they were unafraid of what they might encounter. In a way is was like a pair of astronauts exploring space and not knowing what was around that next bend in the river. Their contribution to an important part of the history of the United States can never be overstated.

What was the mission of Lewis and Clark? This expedition they undertook was potentially very dangerous because the president and other leaders in Washington D.C. did not really know what Indian tribes were living in the region that Lewis and Clark were asked to explore and document.

Jefferson's instructions were to have the men investigate the various soil types they would encounter, because the production of food for Americans who might choose to live in this region eventually will be important, as it was for any region of the United States for new settlers. Jefferson also wanted to know what animals Lewis and Clark would encounter, and he wanted a full accounting of the things in the natural world that the two observed or interacted with along the route, which was the Missouri River.

Jefferson also wanted to make sure that there could be a trading port available to the young country in New Orleans, and Jefferson feared that residents of the western portion of the nation might split away. His reasons for the mission were many (beyond basic exploration), and he was smart to get Congress to appropriate the money for the trip.