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President Thomas Jefferson had high hopes for the journey West. He wanted the Corps of Discovery - the group that made the expedition to the "unknown" West and was headed by Captain Meriwether Lewis- "to search out a land route to the Pacific, to strengthen American claims to Oregon territory, and to gather information about the indigenous inhabitants and the country of the far west." All of these things were key in starting to expand because they had to be cognizant of who and what already
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...lived on the lands that they were going to eventually live on. The country knew very little of what laid beyond the MIssissippi so the Corps of Discovery had a big task ahead of them. ("Lewis and Clark Expedition"; "Lewis & Clark Into the Unknown") Picture citation:
http://www.ohs.org/education/focus/images/lewis_clark_mast.jpg Primary Source; Link: http://www.lewisclark.net/journals/index.html -
President Thomas Jefferson sends a message to Congress in order to gain approval for an expedition to explore the West, the "unknown land". In this secret message, he also asks for funding to support the exploration. He also sends a message to his secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to be the man in charge of the exploration. Lewis selects William Clark as his travelling associate. ("Lewis and Clark") Picture citation:
http://alrlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/thomas-jefferson-300x288.jpg -
The men who were members of the expedition trained during the harsh winter months. These brutal days of training took place in Illonois. ("Lewis and Clark Expedition")
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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to find a water route across North America and explore the unsettled Western part of the country. They were also supposed to try to keep relations with the natives friendly. About 34 other men joined them. Citation: ("National Geographic")
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The Corps of Discovery began their expedition in St. Louis and ended at the Pacific. It was over eight-thousand miles long and took two years, four months, and ten days to complete. ("Lewis & Clark's Historic Trail") Link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/index.html
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...cultures that they could not define them with one broad term. They had to describe the tribes according to their own personalities. Lewis and Clark created a "meeting ceremony" where they pretty much told the tribes that their land was now owned by the U.S. and then they would give the native inhabitants a present and perform a march in uniform while shooting guns. Only once did an encounter with an Indian tribe turn violent. Generally, the Indians were very hospitable. ("The Native Americans
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Lewis and Clark made many new discoveries as far as animals, plants, and Native Americans are concerned. There is a very impressive list of every animal and plant they discovered. A few of the 122 animals they found in the West, include; coyote, Grizzly Bear, mountain lions, sea otter, and many kinds of birds, fish, snakes, and foxes. They discovered 179 types of plants, some of which include; Bigleaf maple, Prickly-Pear cactus, water birch, and Sitka Spruce.
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The Corps of Discovery came into contact with about fifty Native American tribes. Back East, there were many tales and ideas of how the Indians acted and lived. They were a complete mystery to the people who lived in the east. While the men who were part of the exploration had heard many stories about the Native Americans, after meeting them they soon realized that many off their ideas about them had been wrong. There were so many different tribes and they all had their own unique customs and
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The men of the expedition had their first encounter with the Oto and Missouri tribes. The meeting went well, but they were aware that other tribes (the Sioux) would not be so accepting. Citation: ("National Geographic") Picture Citation:
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When they reached Sioux territory at the end of August, they encountered the Yankton Sioux, who were a more peaceful tribe than the Teton Sioux who lived nearby. The Yankton Sioux were disappointed with the gifts they were given from the Americans and warned them that the Tetons would not react kindly if they were treated the same way. Picture citation:
http://neveryetmelted.com/wp-images/YanktonSiouxFiringDemo.jpg Citation: ("National Geographic") -
The Corps of Discovery have a confrontation with a tribe of Native Americans who are called the Teton Sioux. The leaders of this tribe demanded one of the American's boats as a toll to keep travelling farther upriver. ("Lewis & Clark's Historic Trail) Picture citation:
http://www.wisdomoftheelders.org/prog203/images/amusing_dance_sioux_a0000c61.jpg -
The Corps of Discovery suffered through a harsh winter with little food, extreme cold, and the constant threat of a Sioux attack. Citation: ("National Geographic")
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Throughout many winter, and spring months, the men of the Corps of Discovery stayed with the Mandan Indians at Fort Mandan. These two groups of people lived in peace. The expeditition had to continue on their successful journey in order to locate the Northwest passage. However, their continuatoin led to many new obstacles in the unknown. As they headed up the Missouri River, they were faced with strong headwinds, strong currents, and horrible sandstorms. ("Lewis & Clark Into the Unknown")
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A French Canadian fur trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau, becomes the Corps of Discovery intepreter so that they can have successful communication with the Indian tribes that they will eventually interact with. Toussaint Charbonneau's wife was Sacagawea who was very helpful to the crews exploration since she knew the "lay of the land" already. ("Lewis & Clark's Historic Trail") Picture citation:
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-nativeamerican/Sacagawea.jpg -
With the help of the Natives, Lewis found the Great Falls, a sign that they were nearing the Rockies. The Falls were so huge that it took a month to sail around the entire thing. Citation: ("National Geographic")
Picture citation:
http://www.jimcarsonstudio.com/assets/artwork/orig/Lewis%20And%20Clark%20At%20The%20Great%20Falls.jpg -
The group had to find the Shoshone tribe because they desperately needed horses to climb the Rockies. They found the tribe and traded many of their supplies to pay for the horses. The chief of the Shoshone tribe happened to be Sacagawea's brother. Picture citation:
http://members.chello.nl/~f.vandenhurk/indians_horses1.jpg Citation: ("National Geographic") -
Crossing the Rocky Mountains was an extremely difficult task. The men were so starving that they ate three of the horses. The Nez Perce Indians helped them find enough food to survive until they reached the Clearwater River, marking the end of the mountains. Lewis described the Nez Perce as the "most hospitable, honest and sincere people that we have met with on our voyage." Citations: ("National Geographic")
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The Corps of Discovery reach the Pacific and spend the winter there in hopes that boats will come and that they will be able to set up some form of trading with the Native Americans. (Swogger) Picture citation:
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Lewis and Clark prepared to begin the return journey. Eager to go home, the Americans stole a boat from an Indian village. Citation: ("National Geographic") Picture Citation: http://www.wildnatureimages.com/3000 to 10000/C6CT3534.jpg
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Lewis and Clark split up in order to explore more land. Both experienced small encounters with the natives. Citation: ("National Geographic")
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Lewis and Clark were reunited after one of Clark's men accidentally shot Lewis, mistaking him for a deer. Citation: ("National Geographic")
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As Lewis and Clark sailed down the Missouri River on their way home they had to cross Sioux Territory again. The Missouri was lined with Sioux warriors, but no battle occured, only warnings and threats. Picture citation:
http://photokayak.fit2paddle.com/mr340-2007/missouri-river-14a.jpg
Citation: ("National Geographic") -
Lewis and Clark made it home to St, Louis. Citation: ("National Geographic")
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The Lewis and Clark expedition was the first step towards westward expansion. They wrote about their adventure and sketched the landscape, plants, and animals they had discovered. They had successfully mapped a water route that led to many Americans moving out West, consequently forcing Natives out of their homes. Citation: (Perry) Primary Source
Site: http://www.mt.net/~rojomo/images/fishlc.jpg -
For a complete list of all animals, plants, and Native American tribes discovered on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, click on the following link:
http://www.greatfallstibune.com/communities/lewisandclark/main.html Picture citation:
http://www.rampapish.com/images/lewisandclark.jpg
