The Lewis and Clark Exploration Essay - 1741 Words

The Lewis and Clark Exploration Lewis and Clark are two names forever linked. These two names, the last names of Meriwether and William respectively, are that of two of the greatest explorers in the history of the United States. With the help of Indians and a group of brave men, the vast area west of the Mississippi River was the object of their exploration. Lewis was born to a Virginia planter family in 1774. His father, who had been an officer in the American Revolution, died when Lewis was five years old, and for a brief time he lived in Georgia when his mother moved there with her second husband. After assuming the management of his familys Virginia plantation, Lewis joined the state militia in 1794 to help†¦show more content†¦A surprised Livingston purchased the entire territory for fifteen million dollars. The Louisiana Purchase affected the expedition greatly. First, the party would be exploring their own country, a benefit that greatly pleased Lewis. The party was going to be limited to no more than fifteen men so that it would remain secret from Spain, who owned the lan d at the time the expedition was originally planned. Now the party could be expanded. With a much larger party, a second officer was needed. Lewis chose William Clark to be that officer. Clark was born into a Virginia plantation family in 1770, the youngest of six sons and the youngest brother of George Rogers Clark, the hero of the American Revolution in the West. When he was fourteen, Clarks family moved to a new plantation in Kentucky, and he would spend the rest of his life on Americas shifting frontier. Beginning in 1789, Clark served as a militiaman in campaigns against the Indians of the Ohio Valley. He became an officer in the regular army in 1792, and in 1794 fought in the battle of Fallen Timbers. Two years later he resigned from the army to manage his familys plantation. Clark had become a friend of Meriwether Lewiss when they served together at Fort Greenville, Ohio, in 1795, and quickly accepted his invitation to serve as second officer of the famed expedition. In preparation for the journey into the unmarked territory Lewis studied manyShow MoreRelatedLewis And Clark s Journal Of Exploration956 Words   |  4 Pages1. The document â€Å"Lewis and Clark’s Journal of Exploration Excerpt† was written by Lewis and Clark s in the form of a journal. Meriwether Lewis was a captain of the regular army who had extensive frontier experience. (Lewis, 1) With him would be William Clark, Clark was a former lieutenant in the army who was recommissioned as a commander for the â€Å"corps discovery† (Lewis, 1). Along with forty or fifty men. The one thing that made Lewis and Clark different was they were both nature fanatics. Two menRead MoreStrong And Rustic Exploration : Lewis And Clark1145 Words   |  5 PagesRobust and rustic exploration has always been seen as part of the American character. Lewis and Clark are vi ewed as the original American adventurers who defined westward exploration; they were daring and brave pioneers, ready to venture into the new world. Except, the West was not uncharted territory. It was not a thicket of fir trees and wandering wolves, ready for the white men to obviate their loneliness. Yet, the new Americans saw themselves as the prime candidates to take over and do as theyRead MoreBook Review Analysis of the Journals of Lewis and Clark1046 Words   |  5 Pagestitle of the book is The Journals of Lewis and Clark. 2.A. The authors are Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, edited by Bernard DeVoto 3.A. The publisher is Houghton Mifflin Company in 1953 4.A. The book is about Lewis and Clark’s personal journals kept over the duration of their exploration of previously unexplored territory. 2. Content Analysis 2.A. In the preface, the editor explains the differences between his and an editor named Thwaites edits of Lewis and Clark’s original journals. HeRead MoreLewis And Clark Expedition : Analysis1504 Words   |  7 PagesAlexander Hohlt Professor Abbie Grubb History 1301 May 4, 2016 Lewis and Clark expedition In May of 1803 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark departed from St. louis, Missouri to simply find a water route in the west. They were exploring brand new, just acquired territory from Napoleon of France by Thomas Jefferson, who was our president at the time. This was called the great Louisiana purchase. The Lewis and Clark exploration was nothing less than extraordinary, they came across three-hundredRead MoreThe Journey Of The Columbia River1088 Words   |  5 PagesSeptember 9, 1805, Lewis and Clark as well as others camped at what is present day Weippe, Idaho after nearly dying of starvation in the mountains. The next month the expedition reached the Columbia River where they constructed a large keelboat in Pittsburg. Lewis took the boat down the river to pick up Clark and the rest of the crew along the way, which saved time. On November 7, 1805, Lewis and Clark were twenty miles from the sea, but the men had to put the trip to a halt for three weeks due toRead MoreThe Lewis An d Clark Expedition1433 Words   |  6 PagesThe Lewis and Clark expedition was a truth that was to become the crowning accomplishment in the lifetime of the brilliant thinker, inventor, and founding father, Thomas Jefferson . It has become a profounding turning point throughout America’s history. Investigating the recently obtained Louisiana Territory, which nearly doubled the size of the country, arranged Jefferson the opportunity to widen the boundaries of the United States to include both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The threat of theRead MoreThe Lewis and Clark Expedition: A Summary969 Words   |  4 PagesLewis and Clark Expedition: One of the greatest achievements that contributed to the increase of the size of the United States by double is the Louisiana Purchase. While this accomplishment was started through the initiative of a group of American explorers, it was mainly realized because of the efforts and vision of President Jefferson. Since it increased the geographical size of the country, the Louisiana Purchase was a significant historical event that was realized when Americas population startedRead MoreLewis And Clark s Impact On The United States1480 Words   |  6 PagesLewis And Clark Expedition The exploration of Lewis and Clark into the Louisiana Purchase had a great impact on the United States. During the exploration, they encountered Native American tribes, who exchanged items with them, and new species of plants and animals. The expedition of Lewis and Clark began on May 21,1804. Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lewis met Clark in 1795 in the army. Lewis was asked to be Thomas Jefferson’s private secretary in 1801Read MoreScience And The Two Men s Discovery1322 Words   |  6 Pages29, 1805 Lewis and another hunter came across a large grizzly bear, killing it instantly because they were not aware of the animal’s capabilities. Turns out that the grizzly bear had not been described to science and the two men’s discovery changed science. As the warmer weather started to settle in, the Corps of Discovery reached Bitterroot Mountains in late May early June but had to wait until the snow melted to cross. For the time being, the group stayed with the Nez Perce and Lewis describedRead MoreLewis and Clark Expedition1018 Words   |  4 PagesJames Jang William and Meriwether, better known as Lewis and Clark, were hired by the U.S. president Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly bought Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase was bought from France in 1803. Lewis and Clark started their expedition in 1804 near St. Louis. The group of explorers called themselves the corps of discovery. In the first winter they were helped by a Shoshone Indian named Sacagawea. Their journey was full of trouble and challenges but in the end led to a great