What Is The Difference Between The Lewis And Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition- The people of the United States knew very little of the land they had previously gained from the French as the Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson decided to send out an expedition of explorers to discover the unknown land. This became known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition or the Corps of Discovery. Jefferson decided the leader of the expedition would be his secretary William Clark, and Meriwether Lewis. The expedition officially began in the summer of 1804 (Archives). Their main goal was the discover a water route to the Pacific Ocean. However, the discovered much more. They discovered the Rocky Mountains, over 50 different Indian tribes, and nearly 300 unknown animal species (National Geographic). The expedition officially ended on September 23, 1806
On June 22, 1807, off the Coast of Virginia, the American frigate USS Chesapeake encountered the British warship Leopard (Encyclopedia). The crew of the Leopard boarded the American frigate and demanded that they return the four men who had escaped the H.M.S Melampus and joined the Americans. The Captain of the Chesapeake James Barron refused to let the British search his ship and stated that no deserters were aboard. The British, angered by his response, fired at the Chesapeake. Moments later the Chesapeake surrendered to the British. In the end four men were taken off the ship, three were killed, and eight were seriously injured (Monticello). This event had a significant impact on the United States. When the news of this event spread to the American public many were angered and outraged. They felt that the British had violated their rights. However, Jefferson and his Congress did not convene right away in fear of starting a war. Eventually this event led to the Embargo Act of