

Sacagawea was a Native American who guided their mission because she knew the native land far better than the European travelers. The expedition was so marked in history that the story of the explorers was made into many films and many books have been written about them. They failed to find a waterway from the Mississippi to the Pacific, but succeeded in documenting more than 100 new animals and 178 plants, as well as providing 140 maps of the region. The expedition lasted from May 1804 until September 1806. Lewis and Clark commanded the Corps of Discovery which consisted of 33 people, including one Indian woman and one slave. One of their goals was to find a waterway from the US to the Pacific Ocean. Their mission was to explore the unknown territory, establish trade with the Natives and affirm the sovereignty of the United States in the region. Lewis invited his former superior officer from the Army, William Clark, to be his Co-commander. President Jefferson decided to send an exploratory expedition west so he appointed his own private secretary, Meriwether Lewis as a Commander in charge of the expedition and finding appropriate guides for it. The huge part of the land west of the Mississippi River was completely unknown to Americans and needed to be examined first before it could be settled. Lewis And Clark Expedition summary: The United States purchased Louisiana from France in 1803. Lewis And Clark ArticlesĮxplore articles from the History Net archives about Lewis And Clark Expedition Jefferson Ĭlark: Appointed Brigadier General of the Militia and Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Lewis: Captain Clark: Lieutenant CommandsĬo-commanders of the Corps of Discovery Achievements Lewis: US Army (1794 – 1801), Governor of the Louisiana Territory (1807 – 1809) Ĭlark: US Militia (1789 – 1796), Governor of the Missouri Territory (1813 – 1820) Ranks Lewis: none Clark: Julia Hancock (1808 – 1820), Harriet Kennerly Radford (1820 – 1831) Years Of Service Merriweather Lewis: OctoWilliam Clark: SeptemSpouses (Meriwether) Lewis: Aug(William) Clark: AugDied Lewis And Clark Expedition | Historynet Close
