2. The Louisiana Purchase
⢠Purchased by Thomas Jefferson from France
for $15 million in 1803 money.
⢠Jefferson was uneasy about France and Spain
being able to block US trade to New Orleans.
⢠Doubled the size of the United States.
⢠Largely unknown territory.
⢠Jefferson thought there could be a waterway
that connected to the Pacific Ocean.
3. Were there earlier expeditions in
western North America?
⢠Lewis and Clark were the third recorded
expedition across North America.
⢠Sir Alexander Mackenzie crossed North
America in 1789.
⢠Cabeza de Vaca reached the Pacific Ocean in
1536 with three others with the NarvĂĄez
expedition.
4. Corps of Discovery
⢠Scientific and Military expedition to explore
the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase.
⢠Made up of Meriwether Lewis and William
Clark plus 31 other men.
⢠Were supposed find a water passage from the
United States to the Pacific Ocean for
commerce and communication.
⢠Also to study the natural resources of the
Pacific Northwest.
5. Meriwether Lewis
⢠Born in Virginia in 1774.
⢠Had skills of an outdoorsman.
⢠Joined the US Army in 1795 until 1801.
⢠Was an aide to President Jefferson and
resided in the presidential mansion.
⢠Was chosen by Jefferson to lead an expedition
to explore the recently purchased Louisiana
Purchase.
6. William Clark
⢠Also born in Virginia in 1770.
⢠Chosen by Meriwether Lewis to help lead the
Lewis and Clark Expedition.
⢠Afterwards he was the territorial governor of
Missouri.
⢠Served as the Superintendent of Indian
Affairs.
7. The Start of the Expedition
⢠Meriwether Lewis departed Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania on August 31, 1803, which was
the true start of the expedition.
⢠The expedition departed Camp Dubois in the
Illinois Territory and followed the Missouri
River Westward.
8. Missouri River
⢠After departing St. Charles the expedition passed La
Charrette, which was the last white settlement on
the Missouri.
⢠Lewis and Clark passed through what is now Kansas
City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska and camped at
the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers.
⢠Sergeant Charles Floyd died of acute appendicitis on
August 20, 1804. The first death for the Corps of
Discovery.
9. Encounters with Natives
⢠Lewis and Clark encountered many natives
along the Missouri River.
⢠The Yankton Sioux were the first tribe they
encountered and were for the most part
peaceful.
⢠The Lakota tribe was much more hostile and
demanded a boat from the expedition.
⢠The Corps were prepared to fight back when
the Lakota pulled back.
10. Sacagawea
⢠During the winter of 1804-05 the expedition
built Fort Mandan.
⢠It was here Lewis and Clark employed a
French fur trapper and his young Shoshone
wife, Sacagawea.
⢠Sacagawea served as a translator and
sometimes a guide for the expedition.
11. Crossing the Rockies
⢠Lewis and Clark crossed over the Continental
Divide at Lemhi Pass.
⢠The expedition thought they would cross the
Rockies in a day but it turned into an 11 day
ordeal.
⢠Americans were not aware of the size of the
Rocky Mountains.
12. The Pacific Ocean
⢠After crossing the Rocky Mountains the Corps
of Discovery made their way towards the
Columbia River.
⢠They followed the Columbia River past
present day Portland, Oregon and eventually
to the Pacific Ocean.
⢠The party built Fort Clatsop, near present day
Astoria, Oregon, as their winter camp.
13. The Return
⢠On their journey home Lewis and Clark used four
dugout wood canoes.
⢠After an encounter with the Blackfeet natives in
which two natives were killed.
⢠Lewis and Clark separated fleeing the Blackfeet and
were reunited at the confluence of the Yellowstone
and Missouri Rivers.
⢠After reuniting the Corps of Discovery followed the
Missouri River back to St. Louis on September 23,
1806.
14. The Legacy
⢠Lewis and Clark filled in a large blank space on
the map of North America, which had not
previously been mapped.
⢠The expedition documented 178 plants and
122 species of animals, including a Prairie Dog
which was sent to Thomas Jefferson alive.
⢠The Corps also established somewhat cordial
relations with Natives in the area.
