Famous Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson won the presidential election in 1801, and in his time of reign came the expansion of the United States. Jefferson conceptualized the United States as a vast land run by small farmers and landholders. With this in mind, Jefferson acquired an immense amount of land called the Louisiana Purchase. America bought this from the French in 1803. Acquisition of almost 830,000 square miles of land, he needed a way to explore its entirety. With many people in mind to select, Jefferson appointed his former secretary Meriwether Lewis due to his conglomerate amount of skills. With Lewis in place, he chose William Clark because of his abilities as a draftsman and frontiersman. Lewis and Clark’s exploration of …show more content…
For almost 105 days of travel, Lewis and Clark charted many maps and noted many foreign plants and animals. During the expedition, Lewis and Clark kept an almost day-by-day journal that documented the numerous events and observations of the trip. Lewis identified 177 plants and 122 animals on the trek to the Pacific. Bitterroot, prairie sagebrush, Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine were some of the numerous plants identified by Lewis. In one of Lewis’s journal entries, the group encountered many prairie dogs, as well as rattlesnakes: “[he] found two frogs in the hole, and killed a dark rattlesnake near with a ground rat [or prairie dog] in him. Those rats are numerous.” Lewis would continue to describe that the prairie dogs covered almost 4 acres and created little holes in the ground. The Corps Of Discovery also encountered a fearsome animal known as the grizzly bear. In another journal entry, Lewis describes that Private Willam Bratton had “shot a brown bear which immediately turned on him and pursued him a considerable distance but he had wounded it so badly that it could not overtake him.” The grizzly bear was the most feared mammal among the group, as it stood taller than a human and was resilient to gunfire. When conversing with the local Native Americans, they described it took six to ten persons to kill one grizzly bear. Despite the dangers of the expedition, the Corps of Discovery successfully relayed the discoveries of new plants and animals. Many uncoverings of the West made the Corps Of Discovery famous around the whole U.S. The corps left for their hike on May 14th, 1804, and arrived at the Pacific coast on November 15th, 1805. Upon arrival, they mapped the area, hunted for food, and built forts around present-day Astoria, Oregon. These actions were time-consuming, and the corps spent around three months charting maps and erecting fortifications. After
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.
Corps of Discovery and Apollo 11: Explorers of New Frontiers Americans have always been astonished by uncharted regions. When faced with new frontiers, the American people never shy away from exploring these mysterious territories. The “Corps of Discovery” and “Apollo 11” were two brave teams whose story captured the imaginations of Americans all across the nation and influenced their dreams of discovery. When the United States accepted The Louisiana Purchase of 1803, 827,000 square miles of unexplored land was added to the country.
(Bredenberg 1) Thomas Jefferson's secretary Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were selected to lead the journey West. Lewis and Clark discovered new things while on their
Have you ever wondered about all of the important contributions that The Corps of Discovery made towards the United States? The Corps of Discovery were led by two important people Lewis and Clark. Throughout the journey Lewis and Clark made several great achievements that include: mapping the west, befriending the indians, and valuing cooperation. The Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark was held to explore the Louisiana Purchase.
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,
These new animals opened up more scientific opportunities when they brought the specimens back to the east coast. Furthermore, while the men were traveling to the Pacific, they uncovered lots of land new to them. They mapped this land and brought the maps back to the east. I believe it was very courageous of Lewis and Clark to take the risk of dying to expand our country. This is something I definitely admire.
Most of the plants that they brought back ended up being grown at Thomas Jefferson’s garden. While out west Lewis and Clark found many new species of animals and of fish. In total Lewis and Clark found over 100 mammals, birds, reptiles and fish along with over a 100 new plant
The original name given to this expedition was given by Lewis. The name for the expedition would be known as “corps of volunteers for North Western Discovery.” Monday, May 14, 1804 was the first day of the expedition: they departed from the Wood River along with forty-two men. The supply of food they bought were, “coffee, salt pork, flour, cornmeal, and an incredible 120 gallons of whiskey—but for the most part the Expedition lived off the fat and the fruit of the land.”
In preparation for the trip Lewis and Albert Gallatin, who was Thoams Jefferson's secretary of Treasury, collected the most recent maps and printed accounts representing and outlining the unknown country of the west. They also collected information about the land from the native people. The information collected was vital to the start of their expedition.
They began the journey around St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1804. The way there gave them harsh weathers, injuries, illnesses, and hunger. Their journey was long, but eventually they found a way to the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805. When they got there Lewis and Clark made camp in which is now Oregon. They also moved into a fort, Fort Clatsop, where they would stay to check over their data on the way there.
This company would later be called the Corps of Discovery. The two men divided their responsibilities for the trip equally. Lewis was in charge of the men. He was also the team’s naturalist. He collected plant, mineral, and animal samples to take back to be studied and tested.
Lewis and Clark Expedition Imagine going from the nice spring weather to strong winds and freezing cold winters for two years. This is what Meriwether Lewis and William Clark went tough on their two year expedition searching for the Northwest passage. Now, while you might think they had it easy, Lewis, Clark and their expedition crew went through many challenges while exploring the new land. From finding food to eat, to making alliances with different Indian tribes, this journey was anything but easy.
The Lewis and Clark expedition which took place between 1804 and 1806 is one of the most iconic events in American history. It was a journey of discovery, exploration, and scientific inquiry, and it helped to establish the United States claim to the Pacific Northwest. Led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the expedition was a remarkable achievement, and its impact on American society and culture. The expedition began in the spring of 1804 when Lewis and Clark along with a group of about forty men set out from St. Louis, Missouri on a mission to explore the western territories of the United States.
In Corps of Discover, 2016, “Although it was not successful, “Lewis and Clark achieved an impressive record of peaceful cooperation with the Indians and generated American interest in the fur trade” (Corps of Discover, 2016). On April 7, 1805 the Lewis and Clark exploration provided all gathered information from the trip and sent it to Missouri making the expedition results vitally important to the nations growth by providing information from the crews hard work (Corps of Discover, 2016). As rightfully noted in The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 2016, “The Lewis and Clark Expedition are often called the greatest adventure in American history. ”(The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 2016), and as
“Lewis and Clark traveled over 8,000 miles in less than 2 1/2 years, losing only one member of their party, at a total cost to the taxpayer of $40,000 (NPS, 2021).” Lewis and Clark’s team mapped uncharted land, rivers, and mountains. “They brought back journals filled with details about Native American tribes and scientific notes about plants and animals they’d never seen before. They also brought back stories—tales that made other Americans dream about heading west (National Geographics for kids, N.D).” They set up camp in Fort Mandan, near modern day Bismarck and made many relationships with the nearby tribes.