The Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark expedition may be one of the most important historical voyages made by the United States. Carried out from the year 1804 to 1806, the expedition was the first ever transcontinental voyage to the Pacific Coast that was delegated by the US president at the time, Thomas Jefferson, and conveyed by two Virginia natives and Indian War veterans, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis.

The expedition had various goals and objectives, which were both for industrial and scientific purposes. The voyage was led to research and study the diverse plant and animal life within the Pacific Coast as well as to explore how the area could be applied and used for economical gains. According to a statement made by Thomas Jefferson himself, one of the main objectives was to search for a direct and viable water system within the continent for the functions of business and marketing with Asian countries. Thomas Jefferson also gave an emphasis on the importance on acknowledging US dominance along the Missouri River and its native Americans as well as obtaining a precise sense of resources in the previously finished Louisiana Purchase.

The preparation for the Lewis and Clark expedition started out during the year 1803, when Thomas Jefferson read one of Mackenzie's books regarding a voyage made in the previous year. This greatly contributed to Thomas Jefferson's decision in commissioning an expedition. Along with the book he read about the voyage of 1802, Jefferson also had a noticeable interest in western travelling and expansion, which may also have induced his decision of sending an expedition to the Pacific Coast.

During the Lewis and Clark expedition, there were 33 individuals, 29 of which were involved in training and exercising at Camp Dubois winter staging area from 1803 to 1804 at Illinois Territory. The expedition started off on the 14th of May 1804 and later met up with Lewis at St. Charles, Missouri. The expedition founded great relations with 24 endemic nations. Without the assistance of these 24 nations, the voyage would have failed due to starvation and death or would have been hopelessly astray on the Rocky Mountains. Overall, the Lewis and Clark expedition was successful and gained further knowledge regarding the Northwestern geography. The expedition also resulted in the production of the first ever precise map of the Pacific Coast. Furthermore, the US was able to declare sovereignty and military power to ensure that the endemic tribes would submit to them.