In “Troubled Passages: The Uncertain Journeys of Lewis and Clark,” James P. Ronda offers an immense analysis of a phenomenon that he believes is misconstrued by popular belief. He succeeds in providing a comprehensive description of the assumption that the Lewis and Clark journey was an easy straight journey to the Pacific Ocean. His study of the “accedents” and paroles along the journey contains a high level of empirical data from first-hand accounts written by Lewis and Clark, as well as other explorers accompanying them. By combining strong primary documents with a clear, professional tone, Ronda is able to present the uncertainties along the expedition contrary to popular belief.
The foundation of this article is primary sources pf multiple persons relating to the perals and troublesome time of the expedition during 1804 and 1805. Was the Lewis and Clark Expedition Manifest Destiny? Was the Expedition a predetermined path? If so, then why were Lewis and Clark plagued with accidents and chance instead of certainty? These questions Ronda sought after to answer (525-527) . Based on Rondas’ research Thomas Jefferson proposed a straight route with no risk involved because it was to be primarily based on the route of the Missouri River. By the time Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean it was clear that the journey was anything but straight and extremely ambiguous (527). These conclusions are firmly substantiated by the subsequent sources he presents, and in that alone, the article stands as an informative, contradicting, to popular belief, piece of work.
The first uncertainty Lewis and Clark faced was entitled “the Devils Race Ground” eleven days after the expedition began (529). Lewis and Clark, along with their thirty-three...
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...s and accidents that formulate the future (539).
Aside from quality research and clear insight, the greatest strength contained in Rondas’ article, ‘Troubled Passages: The Uncertain Journeys of Lewis and Clark,” is the professionalism and obscurity he brings to the realization of the reader. His arguments and statements are given great credibility by his working ability to provide valid points without stretching the authenticity to provide a clear view of the uncertainties Lewis and Clark faced. He ultimately succeeds by creating a highly informative article that cannot only be valued by historians, but to teachers and students to provide a true view that the Lewis and Clark exploration was one of uncertainty that had many obstacles to overcome, but by overcoming those obstacles, Lewis, Clark and the thirty-three explorers ignited the western expansion of a nation.
American history is joined by a not insignificant rundown of adventurers who initially found and who investigated the gigantic landmass. The majority of the wayfarers affected the advancement of America. The Lewis and Clark campaign, otherwise called the Corps of Discovery, stands conspicuously at the top some portion of this rundown. The Lewis and Clark Expedition has had a huge political, social, and monetary impact on America. They were the first to guide out the west and set off westbound development. Without the accomplishment of the undertaking development of America would have taken five times as long, as anticipated by Thomas Jefferson.
“What Sacagawea Means to Me” was featured in TIME magazine’s Lewis and Clark edition. In the article, he writes about Sacagawea’s struggles throughout the Lewis and Clark Expedition and challenges his readers to think personally about the benefits and downfalls of colonization. He supports his argument and preaches to his audience with a satirical tone that forces the reader to think critically about his questions. He argues in his article that the story of Sacagawea and America are both contradictory, and forces the reader to see their world in a different way. Alexie’s use of satirical language was essential in making his audience think and understand the article.
In the spring of 1805 the Lewis and Clark expedition decides to take off. But on there way a sudden storm approaches and n...
Manifested in the mind of the 3rd President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson came the first American expedition to head west towards the Missouri River all the way to the Pacific Ocean, in the year 1804. The Lewis and Clark Expedition formed just one year after the Louisiana Purchase, the purchase of territory from imperial France in 1803 by Thomas Jefferson. 1 The Louisiana Purchase provoked President Jefferson to look to navigate the territory that his empire now encompassed, and out of this grew the expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and Lewis Clark. 2 Lewis and Clark and their unit of volunteers from the United States Army specially selected by Thomas Jefferson that accompanied them soon became known as the Corps of Discovery, a group of men destined to “compile what amounted to the first chapters in an American encyclopedia of Native American peoples and cultures”. 3
Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took the risk of life, limb, and liberty to bring back the precious and valuable information of the Pacific Northwest of the United States territory. Their accomplishments of surviving the trek and delivering the data to the U.S. government, have altered the course of history, but have some Historian’s and author’s stating, “It produced nothing useful.”, and having “added little to the stock of science and wealth. Lewis and Clark’s expedition is one of the most famous and most unknown adventures of America’s frontier.
Slaughter, Thomas P. Exploring Lewis And Clark Reflections on Men And Wilderness . New York: First Vintage Books Edition, 2003.
His yearning, in sense, was too powerful to be quenched by human contact. The succor offered by women may have tempted McCandless, but it paled beside the prospect of rough congress with nature, with the cosmos itself. And thus was he drawn north, to Alaska” (66). These clear and intelligent principles of McCandless’s achievable attitude maintained his decision to endeavor into the wilderness because it displays that he was allured to it because of the gratification it would deliver him, one that could not be satisfied by a mere human. Krakauer shifts to his comparisons of other travelers before McCandless. “Reading of the monks, one is moved by their courage, their reckless innocence and their urgency of desire. And with that one can’t help but think of Everett Russ and Chris McCandless,” (Krakauer 97). The author declares this in order to exemplify a similarity of individuals who were in comparable situations like Chris and took the same
The West: From Lewis and Clark and Wounded Knee: The Turbulent Story of the Settling of Frontier America.
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.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the crowning achievement of Thomas Jefferson’s Presidency. Without the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the United States may never have expanded west. The expedition set out from outside St. Louis in May of 1804. During that summer and into the fall, the explorers paddled upstream, northwest on the Missouri River to Fort Mandan where the Corps of Discovery set up camp, wintered, and prepared for the journey to the Pacific. This expedition was extremely important for the new nation because on their journey, the Corps of Discovery did find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They documented and cataloged the geography, as well as new flora and fauna they encountered, resulting in an extensive journal of new scientific information. They also established diplomatic and trade relations with the Native American Tribes they encountered along the way.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. However, even after centuries later, little is truly known of the mysterious voyage and findings of the new world.1 By examining “Letter from Columbus to Luis Santangel”, one can further contextualize the events of Columbus' exploration of the New World. The letter uncovers Columbus' subtle hints of his true intentions and exposes his exaggerated tone that catered to his lavish demands with Spain. Likewise, The Columbian Voyage Map read in accordance with the letter helps the reader track Columbus' first, second, third, and fourth voyage to the New World carefully and conveniently. Thus, the letter and map's rarity and description render invaluable insight into Columbus' intentionality of the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.
After being issued by President Thomas Jefferson to map, explore, and compile information on the land just bought through the Louisiana Purchase, Captain Meriwether Lewis and 2nd Lieutenant William Clark set off on one of the greatest expeditions of all time. This paper will explore what adversities were faced on the Corp of Discoveries. From militant Indians to diseases like dysentery, they faced it all. And as Captain Lewis documented, “We went as close to hell as you can go in this lifetime.” (11.Perry)
“Paradise Found and Lost” from Daniel J. Boorstin’s The Discoverers, embodies Columbus’ emotions, ideas, and hopes. Boorstin, a former Librarian of Congress, leads the reader through one man’s struggles as he tries to find a Western Passage to the wealth of the East. After reading “Paradise Found and Lost,” I was enlightened about Columbus’ tenacious spirit as he repeatedly fails to find the passage to Asia. Boorstin title of this essay is quite apropos because Columbus discovers a paradise but is unable to see what is before him for his vision is too jaded by his ambition.
The article, “Native Reactions to the invasion of America”, is written by a well-known historian, James Axtell to inform the readers about the tragedy that took place in the Native American history. All through the article, Axtell summarizes the life of the Native Americans after Columbus acquainted America to the world. Axtell launches his essay by pointing out how Christopher Columbus’s image changed in the eyes of the public over the past century. In 1892, Columbus’s work and admirations overshadowed the tears and sorrows of the Native Americans. However, in 1992, Columbus’s undeserved limelight shifted to the Native Americans when the society rediscovered the history’s unheard voices and became much more evident about the horrific tragedy of the Natives Indians.
To start with, McCandless was not someone who gave up. Despite others trying to scare him out of continuing with his journey into the Alaskan wilderness, nothing deterred McCandless. He anxiously awaited to experience life off the land. The people McCandless encountered on his way to Alaska often commented on his determination. Jim Gallien, a man who drove McCandless into the Alaska interior, described McCandless as “real gung-ho”. McCandless's attempt to undertake such a risky endeavour is something to admire in itself. To travel two years, mostly on foot, is certainly not an easy task. However, McCandless still persevered through the hardships he faced throughout his journey. McCandles...