What Are The Causes Of The Lewis And Clark Expedition

Thesis Statement: Lewis and Clark took a journey that would last over 3 years, and made many discoveries about the plants and wildlife, they met Sacagawea who translated and her presents allowed for better communication to open trade with the Indians, but also gained knowledge for maps that would be used for future exploration. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the land gained from the Louisiana Purchase and to let the native American Indians of that area know there was a new presidency. President Jefferson wanted them to record their findings; animals, plants, and locations. Lewis and Clark took a journey that would last over 3 years, and made many discoveries about the plants and wildlife, they met Sacagawea who translated and her presents allowed for better communication to open trade with the Indians, but also gained knowledge for maps that would be used for future exploration.

Lewis and Clark Expedition In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson handed over a small price of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana Territory, originally owned by France. After the treaty for the purchase was made, Jefferson issued an exploration of this new land. Jefferson ordered that his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, an intelligent and skilled man, be the leader of the expedition. As his personal assistant, Lewis selected the help of William Clark.

Two explorers under direct instructions from the President traveled with their crew westward and explored the Louisiana territory in search of the Pacific water route. The two travelers involved in this exploration were none other than Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Their journey was vastly known as the Lewis and Clark's expedition. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned this expedition shortly after he bought the Louisiana territory from France, which was also known as the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark along with their crew namely Corps of Discovery set out on the journey of finding the route on 18th May, 1804.

In the beginning, Thomas Jefferson had just bought the Louisiana Territory. He needed someone to explore and map all of the land. This task, he gave to his friend Meriwether Lewis. Lewis then asked his friend, William Clark to be his companion. The two men set off on the expedition in 1804.

Along with preparing the necessary items and food and other important commodities, Lewis asked William Clark, his former commanding officer in the army, to help him lead the expedition. Lewis said to his future co-captain and old friend, “my friend I can assure you that no man lives with whom I would prefer to undertake and share the difficulties of such a trip than yourself” (Reader’s Digest, 213-214). The President gave Lewis specific and direct instructions of what he wanted them to accomplish. Jefferson’s first purpose was for Lewis to follow the Missouri River, and explore it, in order to see if there was an efficient stream of water to the west coast for commerce. Along with this, Jefferson also instructed Lewis to record maps of the land, analyze the soil to see it’s potential for providing crops, record the climate, and also to learn about the Indians (Readers Digest,

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson wrote a document to France to purchase western land, also known a the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson was given the land from France, and wanted to study the new purchased territory. He sent out his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, he had much knowledge about the frontier. Lewis asked for help from William Clark, he also was a draftsman and frontiersman and had more knowledge than Meriwether. Both of the men made a plan to take a two-year trip to the ocean.

The expedition set by Lewis and Clark on 1804-1806 to the explore the newly purchased Louisiana territory was a crucial moment in American history. The idea for the exploration was brought by President Thomas Jefferson on January 18, 1803. After purchasing the Louisiana territory from the French, he wanted someone to explore it before people can relocate. He asked Lewis to go on this journey and to find out everything. Lewis agreed and selected William Clark for an expedition that would make history.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are well-known for their exploration westward in an effort to expand the United States territory. Lewis and Clark were charged with exploring the Louisiana territory, mapping the territory and water routes, recording land resources, establishing trade with the Native American people, and claiming the land in the West for the United States. During the expedition, Lewis and Clark had encounters with over 50 different Native American tribes, and in order to expand in the West, Thomas Jefferson encouraged Lewis and Clark to treat the Native American Indians in a friendly and non-hostile manner. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were respectful to the Native Americans because they learned about each tribe’s culture,

SanJaya Reed Mr. McCormick AP US History 4A January 19, 2015 Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase was a very imperative moment during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. He concluded that he would buy all 827,000 square miles of Louisiana, land west of the Mississippi River, for approximately 15 million dollars in 1803.

Throughout 1803, Jefferson had talked with Meriwether Lewis, a young army veteran and his private secretary, about the Louisiana Territory. Jefferson wanted Lewis to lead a group of people out into the west to explore as much land as he could. Lewis, an adventurer at heart, accepted Jefferson’s request, and in early 1804, went to Philadelphia to recruit the men he wanted to accompany him on his journey. Among the men that were recruited was William Clark, an old friend of Lewis and the man that would share command of the band of explorers with Lewis. Together, Lewis and Clark decided to call their group “The Corps of Discovery.”

Meriwether Lewis was very significant in the Westward Expansion. He was one of the real leaders of this movement for over fifty years, and was one of the ones to lead America forward. Even today, his legacy still remains strong in America. After receiving our Louisiana territory in 1803, President Jefferson wanted to learn as much as possible about our new territory, therefore he sent Meriwether Lewis to learn about and explore the land. Lewis was one of President Jefferson’s secretary members, and Jefferson specifically chose him because he had the perfect skills required for a journey like this.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition Cir. 1804-1806 12N40 EN SLC SSG Derick Coleman MSG Benoit Fregiste 24 February 2017 Abstract The Lewis and Clark expedition took place in reaction to the Louisiana Purchase. Thomas Jefferson made a deal with France for the purchase of nearly 827,000 square miles of land that is currently home to numerous states west of the Mississippi river system. The newly purchased land needed to be explored in order to find a water route to connect the eastern portion of the United States to the Pacific Ocean.

The Lewis and Clark expedition brought many conflicts among the spectacular journey. Their expedition was extremely important, yet unpleasantly dangerous. Lewis and Clark traveled from the middle east to the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, overcoming tough winters, rough terrain, and unfriendly Indian tribes. Each day brought new important information, but also unwelcoming hardships. Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory in 1803 by France, planning to expand the U.S territory, and National Archives stated, ”Jefferson hoped that Lewis and Clark would find a water route linking the Columbia and Missouri rivers.

President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery to have the Lewis and Clark expedition find a waterway that could connect the United States for transportation because he had aspirations to expand to the Pacific and Northwest making the expedition important to his agenda for the United States. (The Corp of Discovery, 2016). Another reason for the important expedition was to create a relationship with the American Indians, and the American fur trade, while learning the North American topography and geography of the land which was also important to the exploration (Corps of Discover, 2016). Thomas Jefferson was important to the Lewis and Clark expedition because he organized the journey, sought funding and made Lewis and Clark head

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, many citizens were eager to find out more about this new land. Thomas Jefferson, the president of the United States at the time, “sent a secret letter to Congress asking for $2,500 to fund an expedition to the Pacific Ocean (Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis and Clark Expedition). He chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead this expedition. Lewis and Clark were some of the greatest heroes in our country because of their experience, how they interacted with their team and with the natives, and how they gave citizens a new outlook on their country.