PACE 8: The New Republic

Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery

EQ: How did the New Republic respond to the challenges of the times?
Enduring Understandings Learning Targets
The visionary leadership of America's Founding Fathers produced a ● Explain the significance of the year 1803.
nation of stability and power. ● Identify the Louisiana Purchase area acquired by the United States and the
effect it had on the events of the time period.
TEKS
8.1B Explain the significance of the following dates: 1607, founding of Jamestown; 1620, arrival of the Pilgrims and signing of the Mayflower Compact; 1776,
adoption of the Declaration of Independence; 1787, writing of the U.S. Constitution; 1803, Louisiana Purchase; and 1861-1865, Civil War.
8.6B: Analyze the westward growth of the nation, including the Louisiana Purchase and Manifest Destiny.
8.10C: Analyze the effects of physical and human geographic factors such as weather, landforms, waterways, transportation, and communication on major
historical events in the United States.

Vocabulary
Domestic policy, westward expansion

Part I - Instructions: Reading & Note-taking

Read the following information and take notes from the reading in the notes form below.

During the early 1800s, more and more Americans moved west in search of land and adventure. These
pioneers headed over the mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee and the less settled areas of the Northwest
Territory. Most of these pioneers were farmers. They made a long and exhausting journey over the
Appalachian Mountains. Pioneers had to trudge along crude, muddy roads or cut their way through dense
forests. At this point, the territory of the United States extended only as far west as the Mississippi River. The
area to the west of the river—known as the Louisiana Territory — had been under the control of both France
and Spain at various times in its history. It was an enormous area of land (828,000 square miles!), anchored to
the south by the city of New Orleans and extending west to the Rocky Mountains. Its northern boundaries
remained undefined. Many of the pioneers settled down and established farms along rivers that fed into the
upper Mississippi River. They needed the river to ship their crops to markets. Under Pinckney’s Treaty (1795)
the Spanish (then in control of the area) allowed the Americans to ship their goods down the Mississippi River
and trade in New Orleans. For the western farmers, this right was vital. The goods they sent downriver were
unloaded in New Orleans and sent by ship to markets on the East Coast.
Perhaps the high point of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. For the nearly
one million people that lived between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, this land
acquisition made life a lot less difficult. Those people living in the area had two markets for their products -
the Americans who lived along the Atlantic coast, and the people of Europe. Because the Appalachian
Mountains were so difficult to cross, the easiest method for getting their products to either market was by
transporting it down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, then loading it aboard ships bound for these
markets. James Madison wrote, “The Mississippi is to them everything. It is the Hudson, the Delaware, the
Potomac, and all the navigable rivers of the Atlantic States formed into one stream.” However, because the
Mississippi River had been under the control of various foreign powers, trade was often restricted upon it or
excessive fees were charged for using it. This made trade and profit difficult for those who depended on it.
When the opportunity came to gain possession of this valuable river and the port city of New Orleans, it was
an offer too good to pass up. Jefferson debated the Constitutionality of the purchase, wondering where in the
Constitution the president was given the authority to negotiate treaties to purchase land.

He considered a constitutional amendment, but this would take a long time, and his friends told him that
Napoleon might change his mind. So, Jefferson gave the treaties to the Senate and privately admitted that he
thought the purchase was unconstitutional.
 The treaty with France was signed on April 30, 1803. Land-hungry Americans didn’t worry about the
Constitutionality of the deal. They saw the Louisiana Purchase as a bargain. The United States had gained
828,000 square miles at a price of about 3 cents an acre. With a stroke of the pen the United States doubled in
size, the control of the river and port were secured, and the nation gained what would become one of the
richest river valleys in the world!
Many Americans wondered what would happen to the new land. Would Louisiana be carved into
several new states? How could Washington, D.C., control land so far away? These were all questions that
Jefferson considered. But first, the question of what was out there had to be answered. To do this, Jefferson
appointed his private secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to organize an exploratory expedition through the new
lands. Lewis, in turn, recruited a former friend from his military days, William Clark. These two young, but
experienced, men gathered together a group of hunters, scouts, and experienced backwoodsmen and formed
the Corps of Discovery. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition would embark on one of the most remarkable
scientific adventures in American History, charting unknown lands and opening the “gateway” to the future
expansion of the country.

Part II - Instructions: Viewing & Note-Taking

● Follow this link for an informative timeline of the events of the journey and continue note-taking.
● Watch this overview video of the Lewis & Clark expedition to review the adventure.
● Additional information can also be found in your U.S. History textbook (pgs. 272-277) or in the Making
of America books in your classroom.
● Interactive Map
● Artifacts from the Journey
● Detailed timeline
● Journals of Lewis & Clark

Instructions: Notes Form

● Use the introductory information and links to take notes about the people, places, and events of the
epic adventure in the notes form below. You will use these notes in a summary writing activity to
follow in which you will retell the story, so be sure to provide good information and details in your
notes.

People and Events Key Things to Remember (Descriptions, Dates, Times, Summaries, etc.)

Mission objectives
The Corps of Discovery were people that went to find a northwest
passage or a river that would go from the west to the east coast. THey
did not find either of these things but they did find the Missouri river.
Along the way many new animals, plants and land were found. Indians
were one of the main allies during their journey. Another ally were
Spanish and French fur trappers. Fur trappers were people who hunted
animals for fur. The main objective of this expedition was to find out
what was inside the Louisiana territory.

Lewis Lewis was a Private secretary that was appointed by Thomas Jeffererson.
Lewis was the organizer of this journey.

Clark Clark was recruited by Lewis because they were friends from the military.
They both had a lot of experience in their life even though they were
young.
 Sacagawea Sacagawea was a native american woman and she helped both Lewis and
Clark to map the Louisiana territory. Sacagawea was kidnapped by the
Hidatsa tribe when she was 12. She lived with Shosone people along the
border of Montana and Idaho. Sacagawea married a Frenchman whose
name was Toussaint Charbonneau. She would soon join the corps of
discovery in Fort Mandan. The corps of discovery were helped with their
diet. She also told the other native tribes that they came in peace.
Sacagawea would also go on to help Lewis and Clark to trade the
Shosone tribes to get horses.

York He was an African American slave. He was one of the first Africans that
the Native Americans saw.

Additional members 41 men took part in this journey, with one slave.

Departure details The Corps of Discovery went from Camp Dubois, close to St. Louis, then
Missouri.

Mandan village They were crops in North Dakota, Fort Mandan due to the cold weather
there/winter. They met Sacagawea here.

The Great Falls Once a divide in Missouri came, the Great falls were an indicator of
which river Missouri was. The corps voted on which path to go. Lewis
and Clark were the only odd ones out. THey both voted for the right. The
corps split, Lewis and Clark went right and the others went left. Left had
the falls. To go over the falls they had to make wagons to carry the boats
over. It would be a long process of 1.5 months.

Crossing the Continental Divide The Continental Divide was covered in snow. Lewis, Clark, and three men
went over to find the Shoshone. They entered Idaho.

Fort Clatsop The Corps voted to make a Fort somewhere which would make this their
home for at least 5 months. It was very rainy and bad weather there.

Returning home They returned back to St. Louis. They were exhausted but remarked as
heroes for their journeys.

Part III - Newspaper Article Writing

As you uncover information about the Lewis and Clark expedition, imagine yourself as a newspaper reporter
who accompanied the Corps of Discovery on their epic journey. Using your notes, textbook, and other
resources, write a creative and informative article for your newspaper that recounts the adventure for your
readers. Your article should be 1-2 pages in length (1.5 spacing) and should include such specifics as the
mission objective, primary Corps of Discovery members, dates of travel and various stops along the way,
exploration route, important encounters and discoveries, and significant results. You want to excite and
engage your readers with your thrilling report! Don’t forget an attention-grabbing headline!

To further interest your readers, your newspaper article should also include some images interspersed
(inserted) throughout the article depicting the people, events, and/or discoveries mentioned.
Conclude your article with an editorial prediction of how you believe the Lewis and Clark expedition will affect
the future of the United States.

Naturally, you will want to include a map at the end of your article for your readers so they can visualize the
path taken and have a better understanding of the geography of this new territory. Find and insert an
appropriate map of the journey that includes the paths westward and back home again, the significant
geographic features, and the stops/encampments along the way.

Write your news article here…

The Journey of the Brave

I was just a reporter, running around looking for adventures. I found one, the Corps of Discovery
were on their way to go on a great journey. I asked if I could join and I was in! This group consists of
41 men and one African slave. These Corps were people trying to find a northwest passage or a
river capable of going from the east to west coast. They went west of the Mississippi River. We had
acquired this land from the French for about 15 million dollars, a hefty price! This land was
beautiful. So many animals we found, some big, some tiny. Some plants were dangerous (Ouch).
The people I went with were Lewis, who was appointed by Jefferson, and Clark, appointed by
Lewis. Lewis and Clark are really good friends from the military.

The journey started on May 14, 1804

leaving Camp River Dubois at 4 in the
afternoon. We started up the Missouri
River. Lewis was in St. Louis. Clark
was leading us in this part of the
journey. Lewis joined us later in 4 days.
They made three squads and I was
with John Ordway’s squad. There was a
huge keelboat where we went up the
Missouri River during early summer in 1804.
We reached a new land 25 days after finding Osage
River.

During the expedition, there were so many rivers, I couldn’t keep count. We were moving really fast.
Our first Independence day was west of the Mississippi River on July 4th. Sergeant John wanted to
mark this moment, so he named a creek the “Independence Creek”, I helped with the name.
They made a meeting with the tribes
that resided where we stayed. It was a
council, they did other councils with
other tribes too. I liked the tribes nearby.
The Corps made good relation with
them. I even showed one tribe person
a peace medal. It was during the start of
August, preferably August 3rd of 1804.
We have spent a lot of time traveling,
and I love this experience.

We met a lot of tribes, one of them was the Lakota tribe on September 25. They tried to make us
pay them to keep going up the river. We almost even fought them. I was really worried and was
relieved when the chief broke it up.

The Corps and I arrived at the villages of Mandan and Hidatsa. There were many tribes that would
hunt for buffalo and gain their water source from the Missouri River. We made a fort here because it
is almost winter. As October came to an end, the cold weather was approaching. While traveling
more, we finally hired a translator for our journey. His name was Toussaint Charbonneau. A lady
named Sacagawea came with him, I am sure that is his wife. December 17, 1804 was the day of
the cold. We finished Fort Mandan a week after this cold disaster.

As you can see, you may have never

recognized this animal before. However,
due to my excellency in drawing skills, you
can depict what this creature would look
like if it was in front of you. We call it a
grizzly bear. Lewis was strolling the land and
He encountered this humongous animal.
Lewis became very arrogant as he stated
that these bears were not as dangerous as
the tribespeople were saying, however, we encountered many more who came close to killing us. It
has been very long until we have seen much.

I felt like I needed a river named after me, but they gave Sacagawea and the others one.
Unfortunately, I was not able to get a river named after me. We arrived at the White Cliffs, they were
beautiful. Soon after the end of may, on June 13, 1805, we found the Great falls of Missouri. It took
longer than expected to gather materials. Sacagawea told us the place where she was captured
away from her tribe. She stated that they were going to reach her people. Lewis went to the end of
the Continental Divide but he would not go on to find the Northwest passage. Our mission objective
failed. All the people were starving, only one deer was killed, we were nearing the end of August.
Soon the Corps and I would rest before we crossed the mountains. One of the tribe's people told us
that we could have gone from the Great Falls which was a shortcut. The path we took was 53 days
instead of the fast 4 days from the Great Falls. We went into the Bitterroot Mountains and our guide
lost the trail midway. We were clueless, one man died on the way. Our journey would finally become
easier because we would gain 5 canoes and ride the Clearwater River. 9 days after the canoe ride
in the river, we found the Columbia River. There were so many tribes here. The grass was at its
greenest, and the sun was shining.
We finally saw the end of the expedition! This long journey that was faced with many obstacles was
going to end. However, because of the storm, our excitement had to wait. We then sailed to Fort
Clatsop and celebrated Christmas. Our souls were relieved, boarding home, and a great story to be
told. The future of our country is affected by our relations with natives now. The change in our
communication is highly increased. As our trust with the natives has increased. In the future, I
believe the natives of the country will become great allies with us.