why did lewis and clark go on their expedition

Why Lewis and Clark Matter | History| Smithsonian Magazine History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition - ThoughtCo Still, despite the merciless terrain and conditions, not a single soul was lost. After Chief Shehaka's visit, it required multiple attempts and multiple military expeditions to safely return Shehaka to his nation. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, DocsTeach: Our Online Tool for Teaching with Documents, Education Programs at Presidential Libraries, Petroglyphs Mentioned in the Lewis and Clark Expedition Journal, Lewis & Clark's Expedition to the Complex West. On February 11, 1805, Sacagawea gave birth to a son and named him Jean Baptiste. He returned to Virginia as a teenager to receive his education and graduated from college in 1793. Seaman proved a valuable member of the party, helping with hunting and protection from bears and other wildlife. Even before negotiations with France were finished, Jefferson asked Congress to finance an expedition to survey the lands of the so-called Louisiana Purchase and appointed Lewis as expedition commander. On a gloomy December afternoon in 1803, a boat crept along the banks of the Mississippi River and landed at the mouth of the Wood River in what is now the state of Illinois. [81] Lewis and Clark received some instruction in astronomy, botany, climatology, ethnology, geography, meteorology, mineralogy, ornithology, and zoology. When honestly told, the Lewis and Clark story inspires without leading us . "Why Did the Lewis and Clark Expedition Cross North America?" The Corps of Discovery was a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A recent Sioux raid had killed 75 Omaha men, burned 40 lodges, and taken four dozen prisoners. [41][42] The Lewis and Clark Expedition was considered a great success, and it did meet its official purpose, as it helped foster an American fur trade. Discovering Lewis & Clark.Lolo Trail. Lewiss iron-framed boat was later assembled and covered with skins near Great Falls (in present-day Montana) but had to be abandoned because the seams leaked and there was no pitch to seal them. They spent the winter of 1804 with the Mandan Indians in present-day North Dakota . Friendly engagement with Indians was a high priority of the expedition. Among the purchased items were found 193 pounds of portable soup, 130 rolls of pigtail tobacco, 30 gallons of strong spirit of wine, a wide assortment of Native American presents, They retrieved their horses from the Nez Perce and waited until June for the snow to melt to cross the mountains into the Missouri River Basin. Jefferson had a copy of Le Page's book in his library detailing Moncacht-Ap's itinerary, and Lewis carried a copy with him during the expedition. The winds of change blew as hard then as now. Lewis and Clark used William Robert Broughton's 1792 notes and maps to orient themselves once they reached the lower Columbia River. They were also provided with various gifts of medals, ribbons, needles, mirrors, and other articles which were intended to ease any tensions when negotiating their passage with the various Native American chiefs whom they would encounter along their way. "Why Did the Lewis and Clark Expedition Cross North America?" He then joined the Virginia state militiawhere he helped to put down the Whiskey Rebellionand later became a captain in the U.S. Army. Lewis happened to have some snake's rattle with him. Meriwether Lewis reaches the Great Falls | HISTORY President Jefferson decided to send an exploratory expedition west so he appointed his own private secretary, Meriwether Lewis as a Commander in charge of the expedition and finding appropriate guides for it. Chastity among women was not held in high regard. PBS.Two Medicine Fight Site. Sacagawea: Facts, Tribe & Death - HISTORY Lewis named the north fork Marias River (now Marias River) and instructed the party to continue up the south fork. Likewise, Lewis was taught some zoology to help him accurately describe and classify any previously unknown animal species which were rumored to roam the great plains and mountains of the west. Lewis and Clark Expedition Separating fact from legend in Sacagawea's life is difficult; historians disagree on the dates of her birth and death and even on her name. On August 12, 1806, Lewis and Clark and their crews reunited and dropped off Sacagawea and her family at the Mandan villages. Sacagawea | Biography, Husband, Baby, Death, & Facts What Was Foreign Policy Like Under Thomas Jefferson? Even the president at the time, Thomas Jefferson, was inclined to believe some fanciful legends about the mysterious regions no white Americans had seen. The Corps began their journey homeward using canoes to ascend the Columbia River, and later by trekking over land. During the next two days, the expedition made camp not far from Black Buffalo's tribe. [83], Jefferson had the expedition declare "sovereignty" and demonstrate their military strength to ensure native tribes would be subordinate to the U.S., as European colonizers did elsewhere. Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774 but spent his early childhood in Georgia. They reportedly ate dog meat along the way instead of wild game. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Over the . They also carried flags, gift bundles, medicine, and other items that they would need for their journey. In. His instructions to the expedition stated: The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri River, & such principle stream of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purpose of commerce. France controlled much of the land to the west of this waterway. Two days later, at Marias River near present-day Cut Bank, Montana, Lewis and his group encountered eight Blackfeet warriors and were forced to kill two of them when they tried to steal weapons and horses. Clark remained well-respected and lived a successful life. Lewis and Clark returned to Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1806 and shared their experiences with President Jefferson. The explorers kept journals and drew maps during their voyage, and their observations greatly increased the available information about the North American continent. As the expedition encountered the various Native American tribes during the course of their journey, they observed and recorded information regarding their lifestyles, customs and the social codes they lived by, as directed by President Jefferson. But the expedition was not originally conceived as a way to survey the Louisiana Purchase. Commissioning and preparation Meriwether Lewis Lewis picked his former colleague in the US Army, William Clark, to help command the expedition because of Clark's known reputation as an Indian fighter. The Lewis and Clark Expedition paddled its way down the Ohio as it prepared the Expedition to be launched officially from Camp Wood, just outside St. Louis, in the summer of 1804. [24] Lewis demonstrated remarkable skills and potential as a frontiersman, and Jefferson made efforts to prepare him for the long journey ahead as the expedition was gaining approval and funding. The departure scene was described by Lewis in his journal: This little fleet altho not quite so rispectable as those of Columbus or Capt. The Lewis and Clark Expedition began in 1804, when President Thomas Jefferson tasked Meriwether Lewis with exploring the lands west of the Mississippi River that comprised the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis And Clark Expedition - HistoryNet The expedition held councils with Indians, in which the corps had military parades, handed out peace medals, flags, and gifts, delivered speeches, promised trade, and requested intertribal peace. By late 1803, they had enlisted forty-three mensome with experience on the Missouriand had . In the journals, they used the terms "squar" (squaw) and "savages" to refer to Sacagawea and other indigenous peoples.[104]. Cook were still viewed by us with as much pleasure as those deservedly famed adventurers ever beheld theirswe were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civillized man had never trodden; the good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine, and these little vessells contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves. ', October 8 December 7, 1805", "Pittsburgh recognized as starting point for Lewis and Clark expedition", "Ulmus americana 'Lewis & Clark' PRAIRIE EXPEDITION", "Sir Alexander Mackenzie | Scottish explorer", Bibliography of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Full text of the Lewis and Clark journals online edited by Gary E. Moulton, University of NebraskaLincoln, "National Archives photos dating from the 1860s1890s of the Native cultures the expedition encountered", Travel the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a National Park Service, "History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark: To the Sources of the Missouri, thence Across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean", Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation: Discovering Lewis & Clark, Corps of Discovery Online Atlas, created by Watzek Library, Lewis & Clark College, Lewis and Clark Expedition Maps and Receipt. Hill took the letter to Canton and had it forwarded to Thomas Jefferson, who thus received it before Lewis and Clark returned.[68]. No American political figure is more central to westward expansion than Thomas Jefferson. The Corps of Discovery was instructed by President Jefferson to: Map a new route to the Pacific and of the newly purchased Louisiana Territory Find the mythical Northwest Passage - a water route across the country Make contact with Native Americans Send back plant and animal specimens for study The Lewis and Clark Expedition - Oregon History Project Then Napoleon Bonaparte took power in France in 1799 and wanted to regain Frances former territory in the United States. To obtain the funds from Congress, Jefferson had to present a practical reason for sending explorers into the wilderness. A painting shows explorers Meriwether. Lewis and Clark return to St. Louis - HISTORY 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. And it was also not setting out to claim territory. On July 4, 1805, the party finished the portage and, to celebrate Independence Day, consumed the last of their 120 gallons of alcohol and danced into the night. Causes Prior to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Thomas Jefferson had sponsored several attempts to explore the West. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! [102][103], In his writings, Meriwether Lewis presented a somewhat negative view of her, though Clark had a higher regard for her, and provided some support for her children in subsequent years. Lewis would use the navigational instruments to plot and record his geographic positions while on the journey. The expedition encountered immense animal herds and ate well, consuming one buffalo, two elk, or four deer per day, supplemented by roots, berries, and fish.
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