Lewis And Clark Haunted Courage Sparknotes

The Lewis and Clark expedition was comparable with that of the journey to the moon. Odds against them, Lewis and Clark set out to reach the Pacific Ocean overland the North American continent while documenting their journey and taking scientific measurements along the way. In his book, Undaunted Courage, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster in New York, Stephen E. Ambrose uses journals and letters written by Lewis along with other historical documents to provide an accurate account of the expedition. Stephen E. Ambrose wanted to show in his thesis that, the contribution that Thomas Jefferson made by pushing for exploration of the west and through picking Meriwether Lewis, to head the Corps of Discovery was vital to the success of the expedition.

Lewis was born in Virginia on a plantation that his family owned. When the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 broke out, George Washington called for volunteers to join an army to put a stop to the rebellion; Lewis was on of the first to enlist. Through out his military carrier he was always moving around to different states. He became very familiar with America.

Upon Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1801 Meriwether Lewis was appointed to be the Presidents secretary because of his “knowledge of the western country” and his ability to “aid in private concerns of the household.” (59). Living with Jefferson the two learn of the British explorer Alexander Mackenzie’s trip to the pacific by land across Canada. Later that year Jefferson would send an expedition of his own, Meriwether Lewis being the head of it. Lewis recruits a personal friend, William Clark, to be second on the team known as the Corps of Discovery.
After making the necessary preparations and bringing on 30 additional men they were ready. The men set off in canoes up the Missouri river. Just before winter in 1804 the Corps of Discovery stays at Fort Mandan in modern day North Dakota. a Canadian merchant by the name of Charbonneau joins the group with his wife, Sacagawea, who would later play an important role in the survival of the

The group is very low on supplies, Lewis and Clark use Sacagawea to negotiate trade between an Indian tribe led by her brother, for the supplies that they would need to continue. Additional help would come to them from the Nez Perce' tribe when the Corps of Discovery crossed the largest portion of the Rocky Mountains. When they reached the Pacific Ocean, looked south of the Columbia River to find a place to stay for the winter. There they built Fort Clatsop and waited out the winter. Traveling back, Lewis and Clark split the group into two, Lewis going on to explore the Marias River. The two teams reunited at the Missouri River and quickly made it back home. When the tour returns to America Lewis is appointed Governor of Louisiana and is given the task of putting together the journals and measurements from the trip so that could be published. However he fails to do either, instead he falls ill with depression and turns toward alcohol. Lewis’s death would come later in his hotel room, suffering from multiple gunshots. His death presumed to be a