ipl-logo

Lewis And Clark Essay

918 Words4 Pages

In 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on a voyage to explore the western portion of America that was conducted by American President Thomas Jefferson. The Lewis and Clark expedition contributed to what is now known as Manifest Destiny. It was of President Jefferson’s best interest for American military to explore the west, as well as the men appointed to join in the voyage felt honor to be part of such a historical event. The knowledge and skill set that was acquired due to the expedition was used as the upper hand when expansion towards the west took place. As we know, Manifest Destiney played out in the 19th century and was seen as a justified right for the U.S. to expand its “empire”. On June 20th 1803, President Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Captain Meriwether Lewis. In the letter, Jefferson is appointing Lewis as commander of an expedition that is to take place in Western America. Jefferson’s instructions involved getting a group of military men to explore the West and find its water passage across the continent “for the purposes of commerce”, discovering new plants and …show more content…

As shown, the letter of instructions that President Thomas Jefferson wrote to Meriwether Lewis clearly states his plans for buying more western territory in acts of expanding the United States. Both Lewis and Clark as well as the 25 men accompanying them in the journey have a sense of honor, knowing that what they are contributing to, are in acts of building up the United States Empire. After the Expedition took place, the U.S. had more reasons to act upon expansion towards the west due to understanding of the region. A decade before Manifest Destiney took place, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was one of the many attributes that led to the beliefs of Manifest Destiney and why it took

Show More
Related
414 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More
1216 Words | 5 Pages

In 1803, Lewis and Clark set on a journey to the Pacific Ocean so that they could find a waterway connecting the ocean and the Missouri River. This expedition would change many americans lives and this would make the United States a populated country. This would teach people about land that nobody has any idea about. This would give people an idea of where they are living.

Read More
281 Words | 2 Pages

Prior to the Purchase of the Louisiana Territory, Thomas Jefferson was desired to explore the area to see if there was an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean and claim that land for the United States. The main goals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was to map the region, collect information on new species, and to establish contact with the Native groups and make peace with them. In document 1, the map reveals that one goal of Lewis and Clark’s expedition was to find a waterway from the US to the Pacific Ocean. They did not find this route, but they did successfully navigate the Missouri River.

Read More
548 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
491 Words | 2 Pages

The ideology that the United States was supposed to expand through destiny justifies its westward expansion. This ideology for the Lewis and Clark expedition showed or underscored Jefferson's vision of an "Empire of Liberty" stretching from coast to coast. The expedition was seen as the means to assert American sovereignty, spread civilization across the continent, and promote

Read More
547 Words | 3 Pages

After the purchase of the Louisiana territory from the french, Thomas Jefferson has sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this new land, in hopes of locating useful resources, mapping territory and setting out a trade route toward the pacific ocean. So then set the long, treacherous trail Lewis and Clark has embarked on, encountering foreign environment and Native Americans. Who they eventually have started to disrespect them, by their act of violence, and motivation of cultural cleansing, therefore causing an act against different tribes. While Lewis and Clark ventured deeper into the west of this new American land. They encounter a large variety of Native Americans and started to act a behavior of aggression towards them.

Read More
81 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
365 Words | 2 Pages

Jefferson had doubts about legality of the Louisiana Purchase. The treaty did not state the boundaries that both countries had. Jefferson requested for congress to approve a $2,500 for the exploratory expedition to the west. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was a way that Jefferson would hope that Lewis and Clark would find a water route that linked the Columbia and Missouri rivers. At that time

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

Lewis and Clark had a profound impact on the historical development of the United States, expanding the nation's understanding of its geography, and shaping the country's connection with Native Americans. The Geography of the Louisiana Purchase led to the development of many things. After realizing that the Northwest Passage didn’t exist, they

Read More
790 Words | 4 Pages

Americans were amazed at the sheer size of their newly acquired wilderness and wanted to unlock the mysteries of the unknown. Under the instruction of Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis “recruited his friend William

Read More
409 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
915 Words | 4 Pages

In January 1803, Jefferson wrote a secret message to Congress detailing his plans for scientific exploration of the West. He asked Congress for $2,500 to be used to fund a transcontinental journey of “an intelligent officer, with ten or twelve chosen men, fit for enterprise” to explore “to the Western Ocean.” He wanted the men to locate the Northwest Passage, if it existed, and to develop trade relations with American Indians in the West. This expedition would come to be called the Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery, or the Corps of

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

Lewis and Clark were supposed to see what the competition was doing out west. Finally, they were supposed to assert American influence in a place where many different countries had an influence such as the British, the Russians, And the

Read More
530 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
1492 Words | 6 Pages

Finally, we come to the Lewis and Clark Expedition a political issue that changed the United States history forever because we doubled our size when the Louisiana Purchase was bought and wouldn 't have had this expedition if Napoleon wasn’t in debt at the time and Jefferson to negotiate. As president Jefferson wanted to explore and expand towards west he grew interested in Napoleon Bonaparte 's offer to sell France 's Territory known as the Louisiana Purchase for $15 million or (four cents per acre) which at the time, would nearly double the size of the country ("Biographies of the Secretaries of State). On April 30, 1803 the United States officially signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty with France, in the terms of agreement it stated that all the 820,000 miles of territory from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains now property of the U.S (“Presidential Key Events.”). Most people believe that this is one the greatest achievements ever accomplished by a president. After the U.S purchased the territory, Jefferson appointed Meriwether Lewis, his personal secretary to gather up a party and began planning out an expedition (Binns).

Read More

More about Lewis And Clark Essay

Open Document