Lewis and Clark Expedition

President Thomas Jefferson arranged the Lewis and Clark expedition

Why did Thomas Jefferson care about the land west of the Mississippi?

Jefferson wanted to learn more about the land for a couple reasons:

• • Jefferson had always been interested in science.

  • He was curious about the plants, animals, and terrain.

  • Jefferson wanted to see if the land would support settlement. Many people thought the western part of North America was a wasteland. Jefferson hoped that the expedition would prove these people wrong by finding useful resources and trading opportunities.

Thomas Jefferson did not know much about the land west of the Mississippi. He wanted to learn more about all the plants, animals, rivers, and mountains there.

President Jefferson hoped the Lewis and Clark expedition could find the Northwest Passage.

The Northwest Passage was a water route across North America to the Pacific Ocean.

The Northwest Passage would give ships a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

People had been searching for the Northwest Passage for centuries. European explorers followed many different rivers and streams, but none of them led to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and Clark hoped to be the first men to find it.

Lewis and Clark were supposed to:

• write about the plants and animals they found. Jefferson wanted to learn more about the plants and animals in the West, so he asked Lewis to write about them.

• map their route. William Clark made detailed maps of the journey. These maps were important resources for future explorers and settlers.

• learn about the Native Americans they met. Lewis and Clark were supposed to meet the Native Americans and learn more about them.

Why did Jefferson pick Lewis to lead the expedition?

Meriwether Lewis was an old family friend of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson knew and trusted him.

In addition, Lewis had fought in the army along the frontier in Tennessee and Ohio. So, he was already familiar with the American wilderness, and he had good outdoor skills.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark knew each other from the army.

They served together in the Northwest Territory in 1795. In 1803, Lewis asked Clark to lead the expedition with him.

On the journey, Clark helped Lewis lead the expedition. He was also the main mapmaker, and he kept detailed journals of the land and people.

Lewis and Clark's group on the expedition was called the Corps of Discovery made up of about 30 people.

Who else was in the Corps of Discovery?

The Corps included men from all over the United States. Most of them had been in the United States Army before the expedition. The group also included a few Canadians and people who were part Native American.

Were there any enslaved people on the expedition?

An important member of the Corps of Discovery was York, an enslaved person owned by William Clark. York helped with hunting, cooking, carrying supplies, and other tasks.

York was the only African American man on the expedition. Many of the Native American tribes had never seen an African American man before. They were fascinated by him.

Lewis and Clark usually used navigational tools. Navigational tools help people navigate, or find their way.

For example, Lewis and Clark used compasses. A compass is a tool that shows the cardinal directions. A magnetic arrow in the compass always points north.

They also use sextants, which use the angle between the horizon and the sun, moon, or stars to show latitude. Latitude is how far north or south someone is.

Existing maps of the region were not helpful to Lewis and Clark. They were often unclear or completely inaccurate. For example, some maps showed California as an island. Other maps showed the Rocky Mountains as narrow and easy to pass over.

The dangers Lewis and Clark faced along the way were:

• grizzly bear attacks

While in present-day Montana, the expedition encountered several grizzly bears. On one occasion, one of the bears chased Meriwether Lewis into a river.

• bad weather

The group had to deal with storms and extreme temperatures, both hot and cold.

• starvation

The group did not always have enough food to eat. They survived by hunting and finding plants to eat. Sometimes, they were able to get food from Native American tribes.

• difficult terrain, including river rapids and waterfalls

The terrain was often hard to travel through. For example, in June 1805, the Corps of Discovery came across the Great Falls of the Missouri River. The group had to carry its boats and all of its supplies around the falls. The journey around the falls was long and tiring.

The Corps of Discovery spent its first winter at Fort Mandan, in present-day North Dakota.

Fort Mandan was named after the Mandan tribe.

The Mandans were a group of Native Americans who lived in the area.

What were the Mandans like?

The Mandans lived in permanent villages near rivers. For food, the Mandans grew corn, beans, squash, and other crops. They also hunted animals such as bison, elk, and deer.

The Mandans also traded with Europeans and other Native American tribes. Through trade, many Mandans had learned other languages.

The Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1804–1805 at Fort Mandan. The Mandans were friendly to the Americans and helped them get food.

At Fort Mandan, Lewis and Clark met Toussaint Charbonneau, a French fur trader. They asked him to join their journey as a translator. Charbonneau's Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, also joined the journey to Sacagawea help guide the Corps of Discovery through Shoshone lands..

Was Sacagawea able to help guide the Corps with the Shoshone?

The Shoshone lands were near the Rocky Mountains, in present-day Idaho. Lewis and Clark hoped that the Shoshone people would give them horses for the mountain crossing.

When the Corps of Discovery reached Shoshone lands, they met Chief Cameahwait. Chief Cameahwait turned out to be Sacagawea's brother!

Through Sacagawea's help, the Corps was able to buy horses from the Shoshones.

How was Sacagawea's presence a signal of peace?

Sacagawea carried her baby son, Jean-Baptiste, throughout the journey. For most Native American tribes, women and children did not take part in war. So, when Native Americans saw a woman carrying a child in the group, they felt less threatened.

When the Corps of Discovery reached the Pacific Ocean, they knew they'd have to stay there for the winter. They voted to decide where to set up camp.

Was everyone allowed to vote?

Yes. Everyone in the Corps of Discovery voted. Sacagawea and York, the enslaved person owned by Clark, were allowed to vote, too. Women and enslaved people could not vote in elections in the United States, but Sacagawea and York were able to take part in this vote.

Where did the they decide to camp?

The Corps of Discovery chose a place in present-day Oregon, near the border with present-day Washington. They called their camp Fort Clatsop.

One member of the Corps of Discovery wrote this journal entry on November 24, 1805. Use the journal entry to answer the question below.

The greater part of our men were of opinion; that it would be best, to cross the river, & if we should find game plenty, that it would be of an advantage to us, for to stay near the sea shore, on account of making salt, which we are nearly out of at this time, & the want of it in preserving our provisions for the winter, would be an object well worth our attention.

game: wild animals hunted for food

provisions: food

Most men in the Corps of Discovery wanted enough animals to hunt ("game plenty"). The Corps also wanted to be close to the ocean ("stay near the sea shore"). They could get salt from the saltwater in the ocean. The Corps needed salt to help preserve food over the winter.

The Corps of Discovery didn't plan on staying at Fort Clatsop long enough to grow crops.

Lewis and Clark's expedition paved the way for American westward expansion. The Corps of Discovery brought back important information about the land, plants, animals, and people in the West. This information helped convince more and more Americans to move west of the Mississippi.

A beginning or an end?

Over the next century, Americans would settle farther and farther West. However, as a result, Native Americans would lose more and more of their land. To some Native American tribes, the Lewis and Clark expedition was the beginning of the end of their way of life.