Who came before Lewis and Clark?

the Chouteaus
Before Lewis and Clark relates the extraordinary saga of the Chouteaus, the dynastic family that guarded the gates to the West for three generations. From their St. Louis base, the Chouteaus, patrician and French in their origins, made their fortunes along the two-thousand-mile length of the Missouri River.

Was there any European exploration of the land acquired from the Louisiana Purchase before Lewis and Clark?

Spain acquired the former French territory of Louisiana (French lands west of the Mississippi) and New Orleans. Britain added the St. Lawrence Valley, along with the lands north of the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi, to its well-established Atlantic empire.

Who sent Lewis and Clark to explore the land west of the Mississippi River?

President Thomas Jefferson
Students will learn that the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803 and President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore west of the Mississippi River in 1804 — though the land was already inhabited and politically complicated.

Why did Napoleon sell Louisiana?

The Louisiana Purchase Was Driven by a Slave Rebellion. Napoleon was eager to sell—but the purchase would end up expanding slavery in the U.S. Slaves revolting against French power in Haiti.

What was the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Lewis and Clark Expedition. Jump to navigation Jump to search. American overland expedition to the Pacific coast. Route of the expedition. The Lewis and Clark Expedition from May 1804 to September 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States.

Where did Lewis and Clark camp for the winter?

Lewis and Clark reached their staging point at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers near St. Louis in December 1803. They camped for the winter at the mouth of Wood River, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, opposite the entrance to the Missouri River.

Why was the Missouri River important to Lewis and Clark?

“The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, and such principal stream of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce.” -President Thomas Jefferson’s instructions to Meriwether Lewis

When did Lewis and Clark reach their staging point?

During these preparations Lewis, for “20$” purchased Seaman, his “dogg of the newfoundland breed” to accompany him to the Pacific. Lewis and Clark reached their staging point at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers near St. Louis in December 1803.

When did Lewis and Clark travel up the Missouri River?

When the spring of 1805 brought high water and favorable weather, the Lewis and Clark Expedition set out on the next leg of its journey. They traveled up the Missouri to present-day Three Forks, Montana, wisely choosing to follow the western-most tributary, the Jefferson River.

Lewis and Clark reached their staging point at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers near St. Louis in December 1803. They camped for the winter at the mouth of Wood River, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, opposite the entrance to the Missouri River.

Where can I find the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Links go to DocsTeach, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives. Lewis & Clark’s Expedition to the Complex West, available on DocsTeach.org, can be used as an introduction or for a closer study of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

What did Jefferson want Lewis and Clark to find?

Jefferson hoped that Lewis and Clark would find a water route linking the Columbia and Missouri rivers. This water link would connect the Pacific Ocean with the Mississippi River system, thus giving the new western land access to port markets out of the Gulf of Mexico and to eastern cities along the Ohio River and its minor tributaries.