Comparison Of Meriwether Lewis And William Clark

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark paved the way of the west for the present day American citizens. They traveled over 8,000 miles across the country by sailing, walking, canoeing and riding horses. Lewis was in charge of documenting all of the new plants and animals they came across. Clark took the responsibility for composing the maps of the rivers and the land in the west. Together, and with the help of their fellow members of the Corp of Discovery, they made one of the most memorized expeditions to this day. It all started when Thomas Jefferson made the decision to purchase the Louisiana Territory, also known as the Louisiana Purchase. He bought the land having no idea what it consisted of and he needed to find out what was there, therefore, he needed to contact someone who wanted to take this big responsibility into their own hands. Meriwether Lewis was Jefferson’s former secretary and he was also a captain in the U.S. Army. Jefferson was aware of what Lewis was capable of and right away he knew that he would be the perfect choice to lead the expedition. Lewis agreed to do it and he chose William Clark to be his partner for this journey. He met Clark when they were both serving in the military so he knew that Clark had the experience he needed. Together they traveled to St. Louis to recruit more people to join the expedition. They departed
St. Louis on May 14, 1804 and that was the start of a 2 year long journey. While on the trip they “faced nearly every obstacle and hardship imaginable. They braved dangerous waters and harsh weather and endured hunger, illness, injury, and fatigue.” (history.com) Harsh winters played a major role. During the winter they built a camp called Fort Mandan where they could live so they wouldn’t have to worry about traveling when it was super cold. If they wouldn’t have built this fort then they most likely would’ve died from the awful conditions of the weather. They met the Shoshone indians near the fort and two of them decided to join the expedition as interpreters, Sacagawea and her husband Toussaint Charbonneau. Without the two of these people the trip most likely would’ve failed because they helped Lewis and Clark get horses and Sacagawea could translate for them which allowed them to communicate with other indian tribes. The Corp of Discovery had a major impact on Americans and Native Americans.
During the expedition the Corp of Discovery discovered 48 Indian tribes, some of which were the Shoshone, Mandan, and Blackfeet Indians. These Indians helped them throughout the expedition and formed friendships with many members of the Corp of Discovery. However, little did the Indians know that once the men got back from the trip people would begin to settle in the West and that would drive a lot of them out of their home. For Americans it created a new way of life. It gave people new places to settle and new places to start something
new. The trip finally ended on September 23, 1806, a little more than 2 years later. When the men returned they all went home to their families. Most of the families assumed they were dead since they had no form of communication and since they were gone so long. “Once reaching the nation’s capital, Lewis received payment for his courageous efforts.” (history.com) He was also named governor of the Louisiana Territory. “Although Clark did not get the captain's commission that Lewis had recommended, Clark was granted two appointments: brigadier general of militia, and superintendent of Indian affairs for the Territory of Upper Louisiana.” (Smithsonian) They were both rewarded for their success of discovering the West. Lewis and Clark did an amazing job of paving the way for future American citizens. They discovered many new plants, animals, and Indians tribes that would later help the new settlers. Their acts of courageousness were important then but they're even more important now. They deserved every bit of praise they got for leading the expedition.