Summary Letter To Meriwether Lewis

In his letter to Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson gives Lew specific instructions as to what to do on the expedition. He gives Lewis specific instructions on how to describe the land around him. He tells Lewis to find the Missouri River and to find a passageway to the Pacific Ocean. He also tells Lewis to take special notice of the land and soil, so he could understand how fertile the land is and what crops could be grown to help support the newly emerging United States of America. He has Lewis and his expedition members become friendly with the Native Americans. Jefferson wants them to observe how the Indians interact. Jeffersons says to “allay all jealousies as to the object of your journey…make them acquainted with the position, extent, charter, peaceable and commercial disposition of the U.S., of our wish to be neighborly, friendly, and useful to them.” (Jefferson’s Instructions to Meriwether Lewis) Jefferson means that he wants the explorers to become acquaintances, or maybe even friends with the Indians. He wants to form an alliance with them to show that they are no threat to them. He told Lewis to return from the exploration immediately and not to push forward.

He wanted to expand the newly born United States, and in sound so he has Lewis lead an expedition to the new Louisiana Territory. He also wanted Lewis to travel to the Missouri River and find a passageway to the Pacific Ocean. If they were to find a passageway, they would be able to gather silk and spices from Asia, which has been a wanted thing since the time of Columbus. He also wanted a good relationship with the Indians to the west of them. Jefferson has the intentions of knowing what the soil and climate was like so he could use it to his advantage with crops to grow to help make America