Explores of The West
Lewis and Clark
What Did it Mean to be an Explorer During Westward Expansion?
To be an American explorer during westward expansion means many things. First of all, if you explored the west you had to know what you were doing in the wild and how to survive there. You would also have to be friendly and very respectful, because you were probably the first white men that any Native Americans ever seen. A sense of adventure is also needed in an explorer, because what is a journey without any adventures. Why would you want to be the first white man a indian saw though? Well if you were a explorer during westward expansion you would have to be very brave. Two such people were Lewis and Clark.
Who Were Lewis and Clark?
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were just two very brave American soldiers. " On April 30, 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte of france sold Thomas Jefferson, the president of the United States, 885,000 square miles territory in North America for $15,000,000."is written in Gilder Lehrams "Rural America: The Westward Movement". This land became known as the Louisiana Purchase which changed Lewis and Clark's lives.Thomas Jefferson convinced congress to spend $25,000 dollars on an exploration project. Jefferson than picked Capt. Lewis who picked William Clark, an army officer to be his co-leader. These two men lead the exploration west.
Why did they Explore the West?
We know Jefferson convinced congress to fund a exploration project. "Congress sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find out what exactly what the United States had purchased" reads Rural America. Before they left Jefferson told Lewis and Clark that they we to meet native tribes, find a water route west, explore and map the land.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
What Happened
Being an American explore during westward expansion means that if you were going to explore the West, you would be on your own because their were no settlements past the Mississippi river, besides the native Americans. So once Lewis and Clark passed the Mississippi, they were on their own. "Set out from camp River a Dubios at 4 oClock PM and Proceed up the Missouris..." writes Clark in his journal. They started west in search of natives, water routes and new land. They went all the way to the Pacific ocean in search of these things. They came back two separate way to explore more land and meet more natives and arrived back on American land on September 23, 1806.
Lewis, Clark Sacagawea and crew members of the expidition.
Conclusion
To be a American explorer during westward expansion means that you have to have the right skills and know how to do the right things at the right time.
Work Sited.
“Rural America: The Westward Movement.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. 2013. Web. <www.gilderlehrman.org>
“Lewis and Clark Journal Entries.” Brain Waves Instruction. 2014. Web. <www.brainwavesinstruction.blogspot.com>