President Thomas Jefferson had long considered a western expedition and the Louisiana Purchase increased the need for such an exploration and survey of the west . The main body of explorers, known as the Corps of Discoverers, was led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and his associate in command William Clark. Assembling the individuals to make up the Corps of Discoverers would prove to be less daunting than the hardships and challenges they would endure on their westward journey. Captain Lewis at age twenty nine and Lieutenant Clark who was four years older were both from upper class Virginia planter families and had become friends in the Army. Congress approved the expedition and appropriated twenty five hundred dollars to fund the project which would take them over eight thousand miles in less than two and one half years only losing one member of their party. Lewis, Clark and thirty one other persons made up the permanent Corps of Discoverers along with a thirty fourth member which was Newfoundland dog named Seaman. Members of the party were hand-picked; two officers were selected for their leadership abilities, and other members for frontier, hunting, woodcutting, specialized craftsmanship, and interpreting skills. Two French-Canadian fur traders, Jean Baptiste LePage and Toussaint Charbonneau, were enlisted at to replace two individuals that were dismissed due to misconduct. LePage held the rank of private, and Charbonneau, together with his Shoshone Indian wife, Sacagawea, who would be burdened with their infant boy, were recruited as interpreters. Sergeant Charles Floyd was born in Kentucky, among the first to volunteer for service in the Corps and the only death that occurred during the expedition, a ruptured ap... ... middle of paper ... ...ure explorers. Lewis and Clark did not achieve the primary objective of their expedition, to find a water route across the continent. However, they did provide a much more accurate view of the American West. Their heroic journey marked a turning point in western exploration, in the history of the United States, its citizens and its native inhabitants, and in geographic knowledge of the North American continent. Bibliography www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/lewisandclark/intro1.htm www.edgate.com/lewisandclark/ Henretta, James A. and Brody, David, America a Concise History, 4th ed. Boston-New York: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2010. www.lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read McCrimmon, Dan. 2005. Experiencing the corps of discovery: Mapping and communication with Lewis and Clark. Magazine of History 19, (6): 30-30-33 www.pbs.org/lewisandclark
This transaction would come to be known as the Louisiana Purchase and nearly doubled the size of the new nation. While George Washington and John Adams made efforts at westward expansion, Thomas Jefferson secured the Louisiana Purchase and initiated the Lewis and Clark expedition. According to Wulf, “maybe Lewis would find the huge mastodon roaming across the plains; discover profitable crops, flowers in exotic shapes and sizes, and trees that would soar even higher than those already encountered. Jefferson planned this expedition in the name of science, but it would also be the beginning of a distinctly American glorification of the wilderness” (Wulf, 157). The Lewis and Clark expedition and the Louisiana Purchase had such a significant impact on America’s identity.
“Everything I do is for my people” (Quotes From Sacagawea). This fun loving naturalist that liked to help others was way more of a hero then she appears to be.
When Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third President of the United States in 1801, the majority of the population lived within a fifty-mile radius of the Atlantic Ocean, very little was known about the west. Though what was known was grossly outdated information from the French traders as well as British and Spanish explores in the earlier centuries. Jefferson was a vast believer and suppor...
The year of 1803 significantly changed our nation eternally. It stunned many people. In no way, shape or form, did we ever believe that our nation would expand so rapidly. What started with the small purchase of New Orleans led into the substantial purchase of the Louisiana Territory. This was a purchase that will make Thomas Jefferson a man to be remembered. Although, he wasn’t the only man who impacted the United States during this time period. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are the two men that are greatly known for their expedition across the Louisiana Territory. These two subjects, the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, altered our nation immeasurably.
In May of 1804, two men set out on an important journey that would take them across the country and discover new land, but none of it would have been possible without the aid of one woman. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was planned by Thomas Jefferson, in order to explore the unknown in the newly purchased Louisiana Territory, and also to find a water route across the continent. Along the way the group of men met a quiet native, named Sacagawea, whose impact would later have a large effect on the success of their important journey.
The time of westward expansion was filled of hardships and challenges for the citizens of America. They left their homes at their own will to help make life better for themselves, and would letter recognize how they helped our country expand. The people of the Oregon trail risked their lives to help better their lives and expand and improve the country of America. However, no reward comes without work, and the emigrants of the Oregon Trail definitely had it cut out for them. They faced challenges tougher than anyone elses during the time of westward expansion.The Emigrants of the Oregon trail had the the most difficult time surviving and thriving in the west because of environmental difficulties, illness abundance, and accident occurrence.
When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first explored Montana in the early 1800s, they were awestruck by the open plains and delighted by the wide range of animals that roamed the land. After reaching the Great Falls, which is on the Missouri River in what is now Montana (Av2 books).
At the start of Lewis and Clark’s expedition the United States of America had announced statehood for seventeen states. Just thirty years prior, at the end of the revolutionary war, had the United States gained independence from Great Britain. To this point, few people in the United States had even seen a map of their country. For this reason, the Lewis and Clark expedition was invaluable to the United States of America. In Erin H. Turners book It Happened on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, she reveals the facts and fiction of the epic voyage of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. In her book, Turner encompasses the reader in everything that is Lewis and Clark, from their intoxicating nights on the banks of the Missouri River to their discovery of the Pacific.
Lewis and Clark’s Expedition was very long and costly, although only one man lost his life. Many new things were discovered, including 178 new plants, and 122 animals. The main goal was to discover a route through to the Pacific Ocean, although Thomas Jefferson told them to note anything important what so ever. It was even noted that mosquitoes were a huge problem to the expedition. They came across many Indian tribes, only two Indians were killed, and there was first and incident to cause attack. They even traded or bought supplies from many tribes, and a Shoshone girl, Sacagawea helped them with their expedition. She would help guide the expedition, cook, and set up and take down a Teepee everyday. Also with the indian tribes, they brought a Giardoni type air rifle, which could kill a deer. It shot .46 caliber balls with the energy of a modern .45 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol, like the hand guns used in World War one and two) bullet fired from a handgun. It had a flask that held enough air for 30 shots and the gun held 20 balls. It was reloaded by tilting it upwards. Although it p...
American history is accompanied by a long list of explorers who first discovered and who explored the massive continent. All of the explorers had an impact on the development of America. The Lewis and Clark expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, stands prominently at the top part of this list. The Lewis and Clark Expedition has had a significant political, social, and economic effect on America. They were the first to map out the west and set off westward expansion. Without the success of the expedition growth of America would have taken five times as long, as predicted by Thomas Jefferson.
The Lewis and Clark expedition across the present day United States began May 14, 1804. With the approval of President Jefferson and the U.S. Congress, Lewis and Clark gathered an exploration party of about four dozen men. These men headed off to discover Western America. On September 1, 1805, they arrived at the Bitterroot Mountains, near present day Idaho. This began a nightmare that would not end until they reached modern-day Weippe. September 1, 1805, the explorers set out traveling west, heading into rough, seldom traveled, mountainous country. They stopped at today’s North Fork of the Salmon River, known as Fish Creek to Lewis and Clark, where they caught five fish, and were able to kill a deer (MacGregor 125). Some of the men’s feet and horse’s hooves were injured due to the rough, rocky terrain. The next day, they were entering mountains far more difficult to pass than any American had ever attempted (Ambros 284). Clark describes the route: "Throu’ thickets in which we were obliged to cut a road, over rocky hillsides where horses were in perpetual danger of slipping to their certain distruction and up and down steep hills…" (De Voto 232). Traveling along the steep hills, several horses fell. One was crippled, and two gave out. Patrick Gass described the trip that day as, "…the worst road (If road it can be called) that was ever traveled" (MacGregor 125). To make conditions even worse, it rained that afternoon, which made the trail even more treacherous. The party was only able to travel five miles that day. On September 3, snow fell and the team’s last thermometer broke. Several more horsed slipped and injured themselves. Later that day, the snow turned into sleet. The expedition family consumed the last of their salt pork and fish and began their descent into the Bitterroot Valley. That night, was the coldest yet. The next day, the party went down a very steep descent to a river that Lewis named, Clark’s River, (Today known as The Bitterroot River.) There, they encountered a band of Salish Indians, whom the captains called Flatheads. They stayed there with the Indians the next couple of days to trade. They acquired thirteen new Appaloosa Horses, including three colts, for seven worn out horses. The Salish Indians shared berries and roots with the men for their meals. On September 6, they set off traveling northward along the Bitterroot River for about ten miles.
The loyalty and trust that Shackleton inspired in his men is undeniable. In 1921, five years after the rescue, Shackleton set out again on his last expedition aboard the Quest. Remarkably, his eighteen-member crew was comprised of eight Endurance colleagues, including Wild and Worsley (Morrell and Capparell 208). Following Shackleton?s death, Wild summed up the feelings he had for his leader:
Thomas Jefferson knew of the uncertainties that lingered inside the Louisiana Territory and decided to send Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Meriwether Lewis, born in Virginia, son of a Lt. William Lewis, and graduated from Liberty hall in 1793 and joined the army and was later placed in the Corps of Discovery. William Clark also born in Virginia was the ninth son of ten children of John and Ann Clark, he voluntarily joined the army and was later recruited in to the Corps of Discovery. The two men were assigned the task of exploring the Louisiana Territory and making treaties with the Indians inside the Louisiana Territory. "He finally decided that the casual manner in which they were traveling did not suggest hostile intent, so the tribe greeted the newcomers in friendly fashion. The captains gave the chiefs American tobacco mixed with kinnickinnick, which the Indians thought superior to whatever they had been smoking" (Lewis, Clark, Pelavin Research Institute, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization 188). The men were able to make treaties with the Indians and even engage in some Indian traditions. The Indians that Lewis and Clark came across taught them how to navigate the different areas of the Louisiana Territory, especially Sacagawea, a Shoshone interpreter that guided Lewis and Clark during their expedition. Lewis and Clark’s expedition allowed many American’s the opportunity of moving west, thus
Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark, also known as Lewis and Clark, they led one of the most famous expeditions in American history. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, the Corps of Discovery Expedition was one of the earliest exploratory missions across America to the Pacific Coast. Though its primary purpose was to find a direct water route to the Pacific Ocean, President Jefferson also wanted the journey to focus on the economic usefulness of different regions, particularly in terms of plant and animal life. On May 14, 1804, along with 31 other men, Lewis and Clark set out to do exactly that. It was a long, treacherous trip by water and on foot across a expansive unknown wilderness. Keeping the expedition members healthy and well-fed was obviously a pressing concern. This epic mission had a wild, strange and often surprising menu. Their favorite foods were always elk, beaver tail, and buffalo, and when they were struggling up the Missouri the men ate prodigious amounts of it, up to nine pounds of meat per man per day. But dogs would do if dogs were all that they could get. Only Clark formerly declined. He couldn't bring himself to eat dog meat. They also had to cut down trees to make boats after going over miles of land while being forced to leave their original boats. What they did was burn the insides of
What determines whether an action undertaken by any agent is right or wrong? Lon L. Fuller's 1949 article, The Case of the Speluncean Explorers, provides a situation whereby the ethical definitions of right action are evaluated. The ethical study of right action consists of two major moral theories being de-ontological (backward looking/origin) and teleological (forward looking/ends). Both also have religious and non-religious strands. The de-ontological theory consists of the divine-command theory (religious) and Kantianism (non-religious), while the teleological theory is composed of natural-law theory (religious) and utilitarianism (non-religious). In this paper, all four strands of moral theory will be used to evaluate the Fuller article and decipher which moral theory best serves the argument whether the actions of the four defendants were ethically permissible given the situation. At the end of this paper, sufficient proof will be given to prove that the application of Kantian ethical theory regarding right action—the categorical imperative—with Christine Korsgaard's double-level theories is pertinent in bringing about a moral conclusion to the case involved.