Lewis and Clark: Reading and Questions (Part A)

Read the attached article and answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Bulleted answers are ok for #1-7.

1. Why did Napoleon want to sell the Louisiana Territory?

2. Why did the Federalists oppose the purchase? (Hint: What did the Federalist congressman mean when he said, “We are to give money, of which we have too little, for land, of which we already have too much.”)

3. Why was Thomas Jefferson worried about his purchase?

4. What were the goals of the expedition?

5. Did they achieve these goals?

5. What challenges did the expedition face?

6. What were the accomplishments of the expedition?

7. Find at least one additional source to read about the Lewis and Clark expedition (not Wikipedia ). Cite your source, and list 5 additional things you learned from it. (I recommend or )

8. Using information from the reading and from your outside source, write a 5-paragraph essay (handwritten) to answer the following:

“Was the Lewis and Clark expedition a success or a failure?”

Essay Tips:

  1. Introductory Paragraph: This is an expanded version of the thesis statement from the paragraphs you’ve been writing. Introduce your topic, give a little context (when, where, who), then provide your thesis statement. Make sure you include a preview of the points you are going to make – these categories will be the topics of your body paragraphs. Make sure your thesis takes a stand, but it doesn’t have to be “all” or “nothing”. If you decide to say the voyage was a failure in some ways and a success in others, then you must be specific about it!
  2. Body Paragraphs should each have a clear topic sentence (kind of a mini-thesis statement for that paragraph) that relates back to the categories in your introduction. Each body paragraph should have facts and some analysis that backs up your topic sentence.
  3. Conclusion: Wrap it all up. Remind the reader how you proved your thesis statement with your points. If you have some grand thought to tie it all up, make sure it actually says something specific. (e.g., please don’t end with….and it changed American history forever. Everything did that. :)

Lewis and Clark: Reading and Questions (Part A)

ByAmanda Briney (modified)

In April 1803, The United States, under President Thomas Jefferson, purchased 828,000 square miles (2,144,510 square km) of land from France. This land acquisition is commonly known as theLouisiana Purchase.Although Jefferson had approached France only about purchasing New Orleans, Napoleon wanted to sell the entire territory to get money to finance his war with Britain. Many in the US government were against the purchase. The Federalists complained that, “We areare to give money, of which we have too little, for land, of which we already have too much.” Only one Federalist senator supported ratification of the Louisiana Purchase treaty, which passed by a 24-7 vote. Jefferson himself had doubts about the legality of the Louisiana Purchase, saying he had “stretched the Constitution until it cracked.”

The lands included in the Louisiana Purchase were those west of the Mississippi River but they were largely unexplored and therefore completely unknown to both the U.S. and France at the time. Because of this, shortly after the purchase of the land President Jefferson requested that Congress approve $2,500 for an exploratory expedition west. Once Congress approved the funds for the expedition, President Jefferson chose Captain Meriwether Lewis as its leader. Lewis was chosen mainly because he already had some knowledge of the west and was an experienced Army officer. After making further arrangements for the expedition, Lewis decided he wanted a co-captain and selected another Army officer, William Clark.

The goals of this expedition, as outlined by President Jefferson, were to study the Native American tribes living in the area as well as the plants, animals, geology and terrain of the region. The expedition was also to be a diplomatic one and aid in transferring power over the lands and the people living on them from the French and Spanish to the United States. In addition, President Jefferson wanted the expedition to find a direct waterway to the West Coast and the Pacific Ocean so westward expansion and commerce would be easier to achieve in the coming years.

The Expedition

Lewis and Clark's expedition officially began on May 21, 1804 when they and the 33 other men making up theCorps of Discoverydeparted from their camp near St. Louis, Missouri. The first portion of the expedition followed the route of the Missouri River during which, they passed through places such as present-day Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska.

On August 20, 1804, the Corps experienced its first and only casualty when Sergeant Charles Floyd died of appendicitis. He was the first U.S. soldier to die west of the Mississippi River. Shortly after Floyd's death, the Corps reached the edge of the Great Plains and saw the area's many different species, most of which were new to them. They also met their first Sioux tribe, the Yankton Sioux, in a peaceful encounter.The Corps next meeting with the Sioux however, was not as peaceful. In September 1804, the Corps met the Teton Sioux further west and during that encounter one of the chiefs demanded that the Corps give them a boat before being allowed to pass. When the Corps refused, the Tetons threatened violence and the Corps prepared to fight. Before serious hostilities began though, both sides retreated.

The Corps' expedition then successfully continued upriver until winter when they stopped in the villages of the Mandan tribe in December 1804. While waiting out the winter, Lewis and Clark had the Corps built Fort Mandan near present-day Washburn, North Dakota, where they stayed until April 1805. During this time, Lewis and Clark wrote their first report to President Jefferson. In it they chronicled 108 plant species and 68 mineral types. Upon leaving Fort Mandan, Lewis and Clark sent this report, along with some members of the expedition and a map of the U.S. drawn by Clark back to St. Louis.

Lewis and Clark were joined in North Dakota by the Shoshone Indian guide, interpreter, and negotiator Sacajawea (1788-1812) and her newborn son, called Jean Baptiste (his nickname was Little Pomp). She traveled with the expedition westward to the Pacific Ocean and back to North Dakota. As a young girl, Sacagawea had been kidnapped by the Hidatsa Indians, and was later sold to the French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau. Charbonneau then married Sacagawea. Charbonneau and Sacagawea (who was then pregnant) were hired to help guide the Lewis and Clark expedition. Sacagawea brought her newborn boy along on the journey. William Clark documented Sacagawea's extensive contributions to the expedition, and later cared for her son in his home in St. Louis, Missouri. A golden Sacagawea dollar coin was introduced in the USA in 2000.

After leaving North Dakota and crossing the Continental Divide, the Corps again continued their journey in canoes down the Rocky Mountains on the Clearwater River (in northern Idaho), the Snake River and finally the Columbia River into what is present-day Portland, Oregon. The Corps then at last reached the Pacific Ocean in December 1805 and built Fort Clatsop on the south side of the Columbia River to wait out the winter. During their time at the fort, the men explored the area, hunted elk and other wildlife, met Native American tribes and prepared for their journey home.

On March 23, 1806, Lewis and Clark and the rest of the Corps left Fort Clatsop and began their journey back to St. Louis. Once reaching the Continental Divide in July, the Corps separated for a brief time so Lewis could explore the Marias River, a tributary of the Missouri River. They then reunited at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers on August 11 and returned to St. Louis on September 23, 1806.

Achievements of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Lewis and Clark's journey took 2 years, 4 months, and 10 days; they covered over 8,000 miles. Although Lewis and Clark did not find a direct waterway from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, their expedition brought a wealth of knowledge about the newly purchased lands in the west. For example, the expedition provided extensive facts on the Northwest's natural resources. Their expedition was the first to describe the grizzly bear; they also sent a prairie dog back to President Jefferson (these animals were not previously known to Europeans). Lewis and Clark were able to document over 100 animal species and over 170 plants. They also brought back information on the size, minerals and the geology of the area.

In addition, the expedition established relations with the Native Americans in the region, one of President Jefferson's main goals. Aside from the confrontation with the Teton Sioux, these relations were largely peaceful and the Corps received extensive help from the various tribes they met regarding things like food and navigation.

For geographical knowledge, the Lewis and Clark expedition provided widespread knowledge about the topography of the Pacific Northwest and produced more than 140maps of the region.Upon their return as heroes, Jefferson named Clark the Indian agent for the West, and he appointed Lewis as Governor of the new Louisiana Territory (but Lewis died soon after).

Louisiana Purchase/Lewis and Clark: Map Activity (Part B)

Use the attached map and the maps on page 200, A6-7 and A8-9 in your textbook to create your map and answer the following questions.

  1. Create a color legend and color the regions on the map for the following territories in North America in 1804.
  2. British Territory
  3. Indiana Territory – US owned
  4. Mississippi Territory – US owned
  5. Spanish Territory (including Florida)
  6. Louisiana Territory
  7. Label the states (only those that were states in 1804) on the map using the correct present-day abbreviations.
  8. Label the geographic features that marked the eastern and western boundaries of the Louisiana Territory.
  9. Label the starting city of Lewis and Clark’s expedition with a dot and the city name.
  10. Draw the route Lewis and Clark took to reach the Pacific Ocean.
  11. Name and label the river Lewis and Clark followed at the beginning of their journey.
  12. Name and label the final river Lewis and Clark took to reach the Pacific Ocean.