Jefferson wanted to improve the ability of American merchants to access the ports of China . Establishing a river route from St. ... Lewis and Clark were thus instructed to map the territory through which they would pass and to explore all tributaries of the Missouri River.
What did Thomas Jefferson ask Lewis and Clark to do?
Jefferson instructed Meriwether Lewis, who commanded the expedition jointly with William Clark, to seek new trade routes, to befriend the western tribes of Indians , and to report on the geography, geology, astronomy, zoology, botany, and climate of the West.
Why did Thomas Jefferson ask Lewis and Clark to go on the expedition?
President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and to map the newly acquired territory , to find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and to establish an American presence in this territory before European powers attempted to ...
How much did Lewis and Clark get paid for their expedition?
Meriwether Lewis received a total of $2,776.22 (including his allowance) for 47 months of work, along with 1,600 acres of land*. Captain Clark, earning lieutenant’s pay of $30 a month, received a total of $2,113.74 (including subsistence allowance), plus the 1,600 acres of land.
How much money did Congress initially set aside for the Lewis and Clark expedition?
Jefferson officially asked for $2,500 in funding from Congress, though some sources indicate the expedition ultimately cost closer to $50,000. Meriwether Lewis was joined by his friend William Clark and 50 others on the journey, including an enslaved African American and a female Native American guide named Sacagawea.
Why did Napoleon sell Louisiana to the United States?
By selling Louisiana to the U.S. in 1803, Napoleon obviated the need to defend it against the British , and he may have hoped that the need of the U.S. to defend the territory (against the British) might have brought America back to its alliance with France. ... Napoleon had pinned his hopes on victory in Europe.
Did Lewis and Clark have slaves?
| York | Occupation Body servant (enslaved) Explorer | Employer Enslaved by William Clark | Known for Participating in the Lewis and Clark Expedition | Spouse(s) 1 |
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Who sold the Louisiana Purchase to the United States?
The Louisiana Purchase encompassed 530,000,000 acres of territory in North America that the United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million.
Who was the youngest person on the Lewis and Clark expedition?
George Shannon : Youngest Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Who died on the Lewis and Clark expedition?
Sergeant Charles Floyd dies three months into the voyage of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, becoming the only member of the Corps of Discovery to die during the journey. Lewis and Clark left St.
How much land did Lewis and Clark discover?
The agreement—which gave the United States approximately 828,000 square miles of land—almost doubled the size of the nearly 30-year-old nation.
What bad things did Lewis and Clark do?
One of the worst injuries came during the trip home, when an enlisted man accidentally shot Lewis in the buttocks after mistaking him for an elk . Though not seriously wounded, the explorer was forced to spend a few miserable weeks lying on his belly in a canoe while the expedition floated down the Missouri River.
What happened to the Mandan villages?
In 1781, a smallpox epidemic devastated the Mandan villages forcing the survivors to move north and establish two villages about five miles south of the Hidatsa villages. They prospered once again until an 1837 smallpox epidemic reduced the Mandan to as few as 125 individuals.
Did Lewis and Clark find the Northwest Passage?
Lewis and Clark may not have discovered a direct Northwest Passage , but they did forge a path to the Pacific that would inspire thousands of others to settle in the northwestern United States in the century to follow.
Why did France no longer need Louisiana?
Explanation: France had been fighting wars with England for hundreds of years and at the time it was coming away from another such fight. The French government was strapped for cash and America’s offer of cash for land was too good to pass up.
How much did America pay for Louisiana?
In 1803 the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory–828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. The lands acquired stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.
