Compare And Contrast Lewis And Clark Expedition

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The Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) was the first US expedition to cross the United States ashore to the Pacific coast. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809, convinced Congress to allocate $ 2,500 at the time. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are the leaders of the expedition and will give their name to the expedition. Clark and thirty members left Camp Dubois in present-day Illinois on May 14, 1804 and met Lewis and ten other members of the group in Saint Louis, Missouri. The expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805. The return journey begins on March 23, 1806 and ends on September 23 of the same year. The success of the expedition was largely due to the presence of Sacagawea, a guide and …show more content…

Jefferson chose Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition. Lewis chooses William Clark as a partner in this adventure. The latter had skills in river navigation and geography. Although Clark was only second lieutenant in the eyes of the US Army, Lewis still regarded him as his equal and shared with him the command of the expedition. As early as 1803, Lewis studied in Philadelphia the information recorded in the newspapers of the trappers and merchants who had visited the West, including the "Journal of Travel on the High Missouri," written by explorer and trapper Jean-Baptiste Truteau. On July 5, 1803, he left Washington DC, collected weapons, built a large ship and then ascended the Ohio. Clark joins him in Clarksville, Indiana. In December 1803, 45 men were assembled in Saint Louis: nine came from Kentucky, 21 men belonged to the army, two Frenchmen (Cruzatte and Labiche), nine boatmen. We bring some gifts for Native Americans (hooks, pocket mirrors, canvas rolls, junk, tobacco, knives, copper buttons, alcohol and craft materials). If these presents are not sufficient, a cannon with compressed air is embarked in order to scare any assailants. Three boats leave from Saint Louis: the main one measures about 16 meters. The other two are small

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