Lewis And Clark Finds

Lewis and Clark for Kids Have you ever heard of the names Lewis and Clark? How about Sacajawea? These three people went on a very important journey, or expedition, across a large part of the North American continent. Today, we are going to learn all about it. So, pack your bags, get your good walking shoes out, and let's take a walk back in history to learn all about Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea's incredible journey. The Louisiana Purchase Before we get into the details of the expedition itself, let's talk about why it happened in the first place. Picture this. That is the year 1803. Thomas Jefferson is the President of the United States. At this time, the United States was only about 865,000 square miles, or about three times the size of the modern-day state of Texas. As the population of the United States grew, so did the need for land. That is where the Louisiana Purchase comes in. On April 30, 1803, President Jefferson made a treaty with the French government to purchase about 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for just five cents per acre for a total of $15 million. This purchase doubled the size of the United States. Here is an interesting fact. The Louisiana Purchase included land from 15 present states, including all of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, and parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. Parts of the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were also included. Even though indigenous tribes had lived on this land for hundreds of years, the colonists had never explored these areas before. Which is why President Jefferson wanted to have this land explored and mapped. He also wanted information about natural resources, plants, animals, geology, weather, and climate, and to establish trade and sovereignty, or rule, over the Native American tribes along the Missouri River. Jefferson also wanted to establish American ownership to the Pacific Northwest and Oregon territories. He got approval and money from Congress, then chose his personal secretary, Captain Marywether Lewis, as the leader of the expedition west. He also appointed one of his former commanding officers, 2nd Lieutenant William Clark, as co-captain of the trip. Both men were seasoned frontiersmen, meaning that they had lived on the frontier, which was the land between settled and unsettled country. Basically, they knew how to rough it. Jefferson called the exploration group the Core of Discovery, which included about 40 other volunteers to join the Lewis and Clark expedition. These men were chosen for their expertise in hunting, woodcutting, craftsmanship, and other necessary skills for the long trip. Every member of the group had responsibilities that had to be carried out for the success of the journey. Everybody had to work together to accomplish the goals and purposes of the expedition. Later, two interpreters were added to the group, a French-Canadian named Toussaint Chabannot and his wife, Sacajawea, who belonged to the Lemhaysha Shone Native American tribe. Here is another interesting fact. Sacajawea gave birth to a son named John Baptiste just a couple months before their journey. He would later become an explorer himself. Talk about a special delivery. Now that the team is in place, let'skip to May of 1804 and the main event, the Lewis and Clark Expedition. On May 21, 1804, Lewis and Clark and the other members of the Corps of Discovery started their expedition from a camp near St. Louis, Missouri. They traveled up the Missouri River on a large, flat boat called a barge. They traveled through places that are now a part of Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. Later, the group reached the edge of the Great Plains and discovered many plant and animal species that were new to them. Along the way, they also encountered indigenous people, including the Lakota tribe, whom the Americans called the Sioux. Despite some tension, the two groups were able to remain peaceful thanks largely to the peacekeeping efforts of Chief Black Buffalo. They waited out the winter in Fort Mandon, named after the Native American tribe who lived on the land. In April of 1805, Sacajawea and her husband joined the group. She was a courageous and skilled guide. Her presence was vital to the journey, not only because of her interpretation and diplomacy skills, but because her presence was a sign that the group came in peace. Sacajawea also helped the explorers choose routes to travel the land and also identify edible plants. The expedition came across the Missouri River, then arrived at the Continental Divide, which is the area or line that divides the flow of water between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It runs along the top of the Rocky Mountains down to New Mexico. They traveled by horseback, canoe, and on foot as they explored the land doc After traveling on the Clearwater River, Snake River, and Col It is estimated that the group walked 4,100 miles from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. Our feet hurt just thinking about it. On March 23, 1806, the journey home began, and the group mostly followed the same route as before, with a few exceptions. Six months later, on September 23, the group arrived back in St. Louis. All told, the journey was over 7,000 miles. The Impact Because of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the United States government had a much better understanding of its newly acquired land. Plants that were all new to the colonizers, about natural resources, plant and animal species, minerals, land size, and geology were recorded. Mostly peaceful relationships with indigenous tribes were also established. In all, the journey produced about 140 maps of the Pacific Northwest region. And the members of the Corps of Discovery were met with a grand reception upon their return. After the journey, Lewis was appointed as Governor of the Louisiana Territory, and Clark became the Governor of the Missouri Territory. Sadly, Sacajawea passed away of illness in 1812. Interesting story, right? Let's take a quick minute to review what we have learned. Still in the blank, the land that Thomas Jefferson purchased from the French is called the Blank Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase True or False Sacajawea was a vital part of the Lewis and Clark expedition. True. Without Sacajawea, the journey would have been much more difficult, if not impossible. What was the group called that went on the Lewis and Clark expedition? The Corps of Discovery Nice job, friends! Even though Lewis and Clark were exploring land that had already been inhabited by Native Americans for hundreds of years, their efforts and the efforts of their group produced results. Thanks to Sacajawea, the expedition was even more successful. Maybe one day you can explore and discover, or rediscover, something wonderful, just Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at LearnBright. org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.