On the Lewis and Clark expedition, the two men had encountered Native American tribes. Nobody has been completely sure if they treated the Indians with respect. Meriwether Lewis, a skilled frontiersman, was chosen by President Thomas Jefferson to take the lead in an expedition where he would explore the land he had bought, which was known as the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis had chosen William Clark, a draftsman and frontiersman, to co-lead in the journey. The Lewis and Clark expedition began its long journey in May 1804. Throughout the expedition, Lewis and Clark had ran into Native Americans who lived on the land. Lewis and Clark were respectful towards the Native Americans. The explorers had gifted the Indian tribes to befriend them, treated the Native Americans’ health, and trusted the …show more content…
This suggests that Jefferson, Lewis, and Clark did this in an effort to befriend the Indian tribes. “Lewis had worked closely with Jefferson to ensure he was well prepared with Indian presents which included pipe tomahawks, sheet iron, flannel, handkerchiefs, combs, cloth, beads, butcher knives, pocket looking glasses…” (University of Virginia, 2) Lewis and Clark developed a routine when they encountered a new tribe. They held a conference, handed out the gifts, and explained their innocent intentions. Because of this, Lewis and Clark establish good relations with the Native Americans. “Lewis also knew that gift giving and trade were important parts of most known Indian cultures…” (National Park Service, 6) Lewis had apparently receieved a “crash course” in diplomacy and about the known Indian cultural groups. He knew that giving gifts to the Indians would please them. Because Lewis and Clark had gifted the Indians, he would receive needed goods and food along the way. Lewis and Clark not only cared about Indian culture, but also cared about the Indians
Being 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.
In Captain Lewis and Clark’s famous expedition, they successfully made it across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, opening the previously occupied western region for trade routes. Their unforgettable adventure led to the first reports of the American West. Over the course of the exhibition Lewis and Clark interacted with almost 50 different tribes. The trail of tears, fewer than 10 tribes were interacted with and they were just forced to move.
However, as the voyage ended Lewis said that even after reaching the Northwest Pacific, the water route was nowhere to be seen, which left the main goal unaccomplished. Instead, as the explorers explored the Louisiana Purchase territory, they developed a friendlier relationship with the Native Americans who inhabited most of the land. One of the crew members stated that Captain Lewis purchased different kinds of gifts for the Native Americans to show friendship and allegiance. While another member said that a Native American woman named Sacagawea's presence as a guide and interpreter for the Corps of Discovery, improved their relationship with the Natives. She got along with the local tribes which helped the crew buy goods and supplies for their expedition.
There are many ways to prove that the expedition was challenging. In 1804, Thomas Jefferson appointed two men, Merriwether Lewis and William Clark, and ordered them to find a direct waterway to the Pacific Ocean, create friendly relationships with Native Americans, and to record the geography of the land, animals, and plants. Lewis and Clark took a group of about 40 people and the group was called the Corps of Discovery.
The Lewis and Clark expedition is arguably the most courageous and adventurous exploration effort ever made in American history. The Lewis and Clark took place after the Louisiana Purchase as an effort to find a northwest passage, map the newly purchased land, make scientific discoveries in the area, and to establish contact with the natives and set up a strong trade network with them. Through efforts of Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sacagawea, and many others, the United states was radically changed through the exploration of these new uncharted areas. The Lewis and Clark exploration would not have been possible without Thomas Jefferson's monumental purchase of the Louisiana Territory. Due to the United States westward
It's a gift" (Golding,1962). The boys do this when they hunt down a pig and put its head in a stick. They believe that by giving an offering it will not try to kill them. The same actions were done in the Lewis and Clark expedition when they offered the Indians clothing, pipe tomahawks, beads, jewelry, flannel, and many different types of knives (UV, 2007). In return for all the gifts, the Indians offered the Americans food, medication, and shelter from the harsh
Jefferson imagined that if we helped them now, they would not want to attack us in a state of war. Jefferson also wanted them to learn their culture so we could negotiate with them. Clark was very good with communicating with others to try and learn some Indian languages. The communication between the Indians was complicated to learn, but they did eventually learn who was a friend and who was a foe.
On this journey, Glass and the group of merchants traded with the local American Indians. However, trading wasn’t the only thing Glass was doing on these trips. Glass was writing in a journal. He documented events that happened along his travels. He wrote about the many trades he dealt.
Americans now and past, have been divided by many things. A major division of our people was race. America's past was littered with black inequality. There have been some Black American leaders who have not given in to racial division such as Harriet Tubman, and Melba Pattillo Beals, and Frederick Douglass.
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
Merrell’s article proves the point that the lives of the Native Americans drastically changed just as the Europeans had. In order to survive, the Native Americans and Europeans had to work for the greater good. Throughout the article, these ideas are explained in more detail and uncover that the Indians were put into a new world just as the Europeans were, whether they wanted change or
Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortes were both famous Spanish adventurers during the Age of Exploration. When the explorers came upon land, they encountered two different cultures. In 1492, Columbus encountered the Taino people, and in 1520, Cortes encountered the Aztecs. The two cultures that the men encountered were different in more ways than they were similar in regards to how the natives treated the men, what weapons they had and their war-like behavior, their technologically advancements, their housing and architectural structures, and even their religion.
Thomas Jefferson’s Instructions to Meriwether Lewis discussed the appointment of Lewis as commander of the expedition, gave specific details of the purpose of the exploration, and provided directions for Lewis to follow when carrying out the trip. Thomas Jefferson carefully selected his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to be the commander of the Expedition and trusted that he would be able to perform the tasks assigned to him. Jefferson requested that an abundant amount of precise notes be taken and that they be protected at all costs. He was interested in learning about the people occupying the land, their culture, the ecosystems, and the land. In addition to note taking, treating the Native Americans with respect and peace was important
President Jefferson wanted to acquire the New Orleans part which at the time was blemishing with sea trade, and would now be the state of Louisiana. This purchase would later be considered the greatest real estate deal of all history. Thomas Jefferson sent both Lewis and Clark as co-leaders for this journey, calling the group the “ corps of discovery”. Lewis, a personal secretary, and Clark, a retired officer, were ready for the journey. In 1804, Lewis, Clark, and many other men left St. Louis, Missouri by boat.
Trading furs with the whites could potentially be traced to Lewis and Clark (under the instruction of Thomas Jefferson), who informed the Indians along their scouting route that they could trade furs with them. As the fur trade began to rise in the west, and more established trading posts were created, it ultimately created an intercultural trade between them. The outward attitude toward the rendezvous itself was immensely incomparable, for example,