Establishing a river route from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean was crucial to capturing a portion of the fur trade that had proven so profitable to Great Britain . ... Lewis and Clark were thus instructed to map the territory through which they would pass and to explore all tributaries of the Missouri River.
Why was finding a water route across the continent important to President Jefferson?
It was their waterway north and west across the territory called the Louisiana Purchase , land the United States had recently purchased from France for $15 million, and which doubled the size of the country. It was this land that President Jefferson saw as key to the westward expansion of the United States.
What water route did Lewis and Clark find?
The route of Lewis and Clark’s expedition took them up the Missouri River to its headwaters , then on to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River, and it may have been influenced by the purported transcontinental journey of Moncacht-Apé by the same route about a century before.
What was the purpose of the Lewis and Clark route?
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on a two-year journey to document the newly purchased Louisiana Territory . On the way to the Pacific, they collected information on plants, animals, and about some of the Native American nations living in the area.
Did the Lewis and Clark expedition find a waterway?
On November 15, 1805, Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Volunteers for Northwestern Discovery reach the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River , one year, six months, and one day after leaving St. Louis, Missouri, in search of the legendary “Northwest Passage” to the sea.
Why did President Jefferson want to explore the West?
In 1784, Jefferson opposed the extension of slavery into the northwest territory, but he later supported its westward extension because he feared that any restriction of slavery could lead to a civil war and an end to the nation .
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 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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What struggles did Lewis and Clark face at Lolo Pass?
It was one of the steepest and most exposed trails of the entire journey. “ Several horses slipped and rolled down steep hills which hurt them very much ,” wrote Clark. “The one which carried my desk and small trunk turned over and rolled down a mountain for 40 yards and lodged against a tree, broke the desk.
What plants did Lewis and Clark discover?
- Osage orange. Scientific name: Maclura pomifera – Lewis first described this on March 3, 1804. ...
- Broad-leaved gum-plant. ...
- Lance-leaved psoralea. ...
- Large-flowered clammyweed. ...
- Missouri milk vetch. ...
- Few-flowered psoralea; scurfy pea. ...
- Aromatic aster. ...
- Silver-leaf psoralea; silvery scurfpea.
What did Lewis and Clark spend most of their time doing?
What did Lewis and Clark spend most of their time doing? Clark spent most of his time on the keel boat charting the course and making maps while Lewis often ashore studying the rock formations soil animals and plants along the way. Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark who, from 1804 to 1806.
What Indian tribes did Lewis and Clark encounter?
Most of the land Lewis and Clark surveyed was already occupied by Native Americans. In fact, the Corps encountered around 50 Native American tribes including the Shoshone, the Mandan, the Minitari, the Blackfeet, the Chinook and the Sioux .
Was the Lewis and Clark expedition expensive?
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.
What 4 Rivers did Lewis and Clark discover?
The Rivers of Lewis and Clark
The Missouri River headwaters are the Three Forks, Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson Rivers in Montana and flow into the Mississippi River at St. Louis.
What did Lewis and Clark prove?
Lewis and Clark’s team mapped uncharted land, rivers, and mountains . They brought back journals filled with details about Native American tribes and scientific notes about plants and animals they’d never seen before. They also brought back stories—tales that made other Americans dream about heading west.
Did Lewis and Clark discover any rivers?
On May 14, 1804, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their group of 40 men, collectively known as the Corps of Discovery, launched their pirogues and keelboat onto the Missouri River at its mouth, some 18 miles from the young town of St. Louis.
