“Oh, hello everyone!
You are all probably wondering where I’m wandering.
In this edition of History in a Nutshell,
we are going west, following in the footsteps
of two of America’s greatest explorers:
Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark!
From 1804 to 1806, Lewis and Clark led an expedition
known as the Corps of Discovery
through the mostly unknown western territories
of North America.
After the United States purchased the Louisiana
Territory from France in 1803,
curiosity and wonder filled the minds
of Americans, including President Thomas Jefferson,
who was arguably the biggest
advocate for exploring the west!
At that time, nobody knew what to expect to find out
there in the vast unknown.
There was wide speculation of the existence of a
massive waterway known as the “Northwest Passage,
which could potentially open up direct trade routes
with Asia.
Throughout the journey, the expedition faced
bitter cold, diseases, harsh terrain,
and even a few close calls with the Native American
tribes they encountered.
Without friendship, teamwork,
and, on some occasions, women intervening
on their behalf, this expedition
would not have been possible.
Did the United States get its money’s worth
with the Louisiana Purchase?
Join me, as I lead you through the history
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition!
♪
Many Americans already shared the itch to explore
the unknown west before the Louisiana Purchase.
In the late 1700’s, all lands east of the
Mississippi River were accounted for,
but the lands west of the Mississippi
were a mystery.
At the end of the French and Indian War,
one of the resulting measures was the
Proclamation Line of 1763.
Legally, Anglo-American colonists were not allowed
to settle beyond lands gained from the defeated
French, out of fears of violating treaties with
Native American tribes living in the region,
however many settlers did it anyway,
suffering little to no consequences
from the American government.
The Louisiana Territory was French property
in 1801, and with war brewing between France
and Great Britain (Napoleonic Wars), First Consul
Napoleon Bonaparte desperately needed money
to fight the British.
France’s offer to sell the Louisiana Territory
to the United States
took Americans completely by surprise!
On April 30, 1803, for the sum of $15 million,
the size of the United States doubled overnight;
around 828,000 square miles
of newly acquired land!
Even before negotiations with France had concluded,
President Thomas Jefferson was already proposing an
expedition of the Louisiana Territory
to Congress!
“Gentlemen of the Senate and the House
of Representatives, the river Missouri and the Indians
inhabiting it are not as well-known
as is desirable.
An intelligent officer with 10-12 chosen men
might explore the whole line even
to the western ocean.
The appropriation of $2,500 dollars
would cover the undertaking.”
This trek would serve the following urposes:
Map out the unknown western regions,
seek new scientific understandings
of the territory,
gathering specimens and documenting new animal
and plant species,
establish relations with the Native American tribes
the expedition would encounter,
and the most important objective,
confirm the existence of the fabled
“Northwest Passage” waterway.
For over 300 years, the British, the French,
and the Spanish have searched
for this waterway.
President Jefferson felt that whoever controlled
this waterway, would control the fate
of the continent.
To lead said expedition, President Jefferson
needed someone trustworthy and reliable,
and knew the perfect man for the job:
his own personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis.
At the age of 28 years old,
Lewis was already an experienced frontiersman,
amateur scientist, and had the makings of a promising
career as an Army officer.
To co-command this expedition,
Lewis chose his close friend William Clark:
while not having as much formal education as Lewis,
Clark had more field experience,
and was once Lewis’ superior ranking officer.
Clark, like Lewis, was also an experienced
frontiersman, and had developed negotiation skills
with Native Americans.
Preparations were soon underway.
President Jefferson extended Lewis and Clark
a line of credit to fund this expedition,
and Congress would pay the bill.
The journey ended up costing way more than the
proposed $2,500 dollars; more in the ballpark
of around $40,000-$50,000 dollars,
which was a ton of money in those days!
Lewis purchased scientific instruments, medicine,
navigational tools, camping supplies,
gunpowder, lead, gifts for the Native American tribes,
whisky, and state of the art rifles.
Lewis knew the expedition would need to bring along
absolutely everything they’d need for this journey,
for if they ran into trouble,
there would be no one coming to help them!
At President Jefferson’s request,
Lewis traveled to Philadelphia,
and for a few months he learned from the nation’s
top scientific minds- studying botany,
celestial navigation, medicine, minerology,
and zoology.
While Lewis was in Philadelphia,
Clark was busy recruiting the men needed
for this journey.
Clark and his recruits spent the winter of
1803-1804 training and preparing for the journey west,
at Camp DuBois.
The crew had around 45 members,
consisting mainly of healthy,
unmarried men with hunting and survival skills.
Some other members of importance included
a French-Canadian interpreter,
a contracted boat crew for their 55-foot-long
keelboat, and Clark’s enslaved African-American
named York.
This group is known today as
“The Corps of Discovery.”