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Considering the Lewis and Clark expedition, the fact that they were part of a scientific expedition was extremely important, especially during the Age of Enlightenment. The new knowledge they obtained about the Northwest's geography, Natural Resources, and native inhabitants sparked American interest in the west, and strengthened the nation's claim to the area. It also gave Americans a sense of pride at a time when they badly needed symbols of national triumph. Americans at this time realized that their new nation was still very much divided and relatively weak and Lewis and Clark's adventure offered Americans proof that the men of their nation could accomplish great deeds amidst enormous hardships.

Also spread was the idea of 'Manifest Destiny' as Americans increasingly assumed a continental destiny. This opened many door for poor families to go out and prosper throughout the late nineteenth century. However this also led to many Native Americans and earlier Hispanic settlers to be dispossessed, along with the great number of buffalo that Lewis and Clark themselves saw and were amazed by.

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βˆ™ 13y ago
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βˆ™ 14y ago

Despite their accomplishments, Lewis and Clark had little real effect on the course of history. Their journals were published nearly 10 years after the expedition, while the country was distracted by the War of 1812, and the publication omitted the most salient information; the wealth of scientific and anthropological data. By the time the Lewis and Clark journals were satisfactorily rendered, in 1894, the West had been long settled, without the help or need of the help. Frankly, the confluence of social forces at the time would have precipitated Westward movement notwithstanding Lewis and Clark; they didn't really matter. See Manifest Destiny.

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So they can explore the Louisiana Purchase and talk with Indian tribes and reach the Pacific Ocean

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Q: Why was the Lewis and Clark expedition so important?
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Why did Lewis and clark keep journals?

Lewis and Clark kept journals so that they could report their discoveries to President Jefferson. At the time, Jefferson had just bout the Louisiana Territory and he needed to know what was over there. He chose Lewis, who was his personal secretary to go on an expedition and Lewis chose Clark to accompany him and be his second in command. They basically just needed to write down everything that would have been useful for president Jefferson.


Why did Sacajwea go with Lewis and Clark on the expedition?

Sacagawea really didn't assertively join the expedition. It was her husband Toussaint Charbonneau who was invited and hired by Lewis and Clark as an interpreter, and Sacagawea would at first only serve as a companion. However, her skills in interpretation proved superior to her husband's, and Lewis and Clark were impressed. She was also very calm and level-headed in many instances, whereas her husband would often panic so Lewis and Clark learned to trust her guidance more than his. She became invaluable as a guide in the region of her birth, near the Three Forks of the Missouri, and as a interpreter between the expedition and her tribe when the expedition reached that area. After she gave birth during the expedition to Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau on February 11, 1805 she also quieted the fears of other Native Americans, for no war party traveled with a woman and a small baby.


What did Lewis and Clark do to prepare themselves?

Meriwether Lewis who had been appointed to the rank of Captain, was designated as the expedition "scientist". Prior to the expedition, Lewis went to Philadelphia for intense training by physician Benjamin Rush, astronomer-surveyor Andrew Ellicott, botanist Benjamin Barton, anatomist Casper Wister, and mathematician Robert Patterson. For three months he was tutored in the spring of 1803. The skills that Lewis learned would be passed on to Clark as they traveled. Prior to the expedition, Clark was in fact Lewis' superior officer and was very experienced in handling boats. Clark also served mainly as the expedition "doctor" and co-writer of the Journals. He often traded medical care for food and eventually established a reputation among the natives for his skills. Finding a man with a tumor on his thigh who couldn't walk, Clark cleansed and dressed the wound and left him some soap to wash the sore. He soon got better and as Clark says "this man assigned the restoration of his leg to me."


Who was the slave that traveled with Lewis and clark?

His name was York, and he was Clark's slave, willed to him by his father. He was born circa 1770 and he was born into slavery as both his mother Rose and his father York were already slaves of the Clark family. But Clark did not like to refer to him as a "slave", so in the journals he called him "my servant". The two men had grown up together, and Clark trusted him completely. York was tall, strong, a valuable member of the expedition, and devoted to Clark, who freed him when they returned to St. Louis. Subsequently Clark set him up in the draying business.


Who did Lewis and Clark meet on their journey and how did this person help them?

Sacagawea really didn't assertively join the expedition. It was her husband Toussaint Charbonneau who was invited and hired by Lewis and Clark as an interpreter, and Sacagawea would at first only serve as a companion. Sacagawea was 16 or 17 when she and her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, joined the Lewis and Clark party on November 4, 1804. However, her skills in interpretation proved superior to her husband's, and Lewis and Clark were impressed. She was also very calm and level-headed in many instances, whereas her husband would often panic so Lewis and Clark learned to trust her guidance more than his. She became invaluable as a guide in the region of her birth, near the Three Forks of the Missouri, and as a interpreter between the expedition and her tribe when the expedition reached that area. After she gave birth during the expedition to Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau on February 11, 1805 she also quieted the fears of other Native Americans, for no war party traveled with a woman and a small baby.

Related questions

Who was president of the US at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Thomas Jefferson was president at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. infact, he sent Lewis out to explore and Lewis chose Clark to come along. So, Thomas Jefferson had a huge influence on the expedition.


Why was it important to Lewis and clark expedition that Sacagawea gets well?

so her brother,Cameahwait can lead them through the journey


Why was Lewis and Clark's expedition important?

without lewis and clark going on their expedition, we wouldn't have the information about the west side of the mississippi river that we have today. at least, we wouldn't have had it so soon. it probably would have been discovered several years later.


What made Sacagawea so interesting?

Sacagawea was an important part of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition. She was really very interesting.


What obsticles did Lewis and clarks expedition encounter?

The weather hindered Lewis and Clark's expedition. The weather was so bad that they couldn't reach the West.


Why did the lewis and clark include Sacagawea in the expedition?

They included her in the expedition because her husband was going to be a translator so she had to be one too.


Why was the Lewis and Clark expedition so important to American history?

The expedition explored the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territory, inaugurating the idea if manifest destiny and setting the stage for westward expansion.


What was the meaning of the Lewis and Clark expedition?

Lewis and clark were commissioned by the queen of England. after Columbus disscovered America the queen wanted a detailed map so Lewis and clark started mapping it from the east coast to the west coast


Did people know about the Mississippi River before the Lewis and Clark expedition?

Oh very much so, they knew it was there years and years and years before Lewis and Clark.


How did sacagaewa become so famous?

She became famous by helping the Lewis and clark expedition and by navigating the expedition. Also by picking her nose


Why was Sacagawea so key to Lewis and Clark's expedition?

sacajawea knew the land that lewis and clark were attempting to venture. they were unaware of where to go but sacajawea knew the paths and routes to take.


How many men were a part of the Lewis and Clark journals?

There would be a total of 31 people in the Lewis and Clark expedition, but Lewis and Clark were the only ones who were permitted to write in the journals. Being that the instructions of what to write in them were given to Lewis only, and eventually Clark would know them, the others did not have the authority to do so.