Who did Jefferson first ask to lead an expedition to the Pacific?

Captain Meriwether Lewis
Congress subsequently appropriated $2,324 for supplies and food, the appropriation of which was left in Lewis’s charge. In 1803, Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery and named Army Captain Meriwether Lewis its leader, who then invited William Clark to co-lead the expedition with him.

Who did Thomas Jefferson send on an expedition?

Lewis
Ohio becomes the 17th U.S. State. Jefferson sends Lewis to Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be tutored by some of the nation’s leading scientists (including Andrew Ellicott, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Smith Barton, Robert Patterson, and Caspar Wistar). He also purchases supplies needed for the Expedition.

Who were the two men who led the major expedition into the Louisiana territory at the request of President Jefferson?

Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–06) was a U.S. military expedition, led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark, to explore the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest. The expedition was a major chapter in the history of American exploration.

Why did Thomas Jefferson want New Orleans?

At first Jefferson only wanted to purchase the city of New Orleans to ensure American access to the Mississippi River and trade routes to the eastern America. The French offered to sale the entire Lousiana Territory instead of just the city of New Orleans. This purchase enabled the vast expansion of the United States.

Who was the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Sources The Lewis and Clark Expedition began in 1804, when President Thomas Jefferson tasked Meriwether Lewis with exploring lands west of the Mississippi River that comprised the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis chose William Clark as his co-leader for the mission.

Why did Jefferson want to go on the expedition?

On February 28, 1803, Congress appropriated funds for the Expedition, and Jefferson’s dream came closer to becoming a reality. It was important for Lewis to gain certain scientific skills and to buy equipment that would be needed on the journey.

What did Jefferson want Lewis and Clark to do?

While its primary mission was to explore waterways for a route to the Pacific Ocean, commerce with inhabitants of the region was a major goal. Jefferson specified the kinds of information Lewis should obtain about any American Indian nations he might encounter.

Who was chosen to lead the western expedition?

Months before his message to Congress, the president had chosen Meriwether Lewisto lead the western expedition.

Why did Jefferson choose Lewis and Clark to lead the expedition?

Meriwether Lewis was chosen by Jefferson to lead the expedition because he had the necessary skills, military discipline and experience. Lewis chose Clark, a former rifleman whom he had served with in his company, to aid him in leading the U.S. Army expedition, which is known today as the Corps of Discovery.

Months before his message to Congress, the president had chosen Meriwether Lewisto lead the western expedition.

Who was in Jefferson’s letter of instructions to Lewis?

In the meantime, Lewis had enlisted William Clark, experienced frontier army soldier and younger brother of Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark, to join him as co-captain of the Corps of Discovery. In his letter of instructions to Meriwether Lewis, national expansion and economic development dominated Jefferson’s thinking.

Why did Jefferson want to expand the United States?

Jefferson sought to claim more territory for the United States, eliminate foreign competition and convert the Indian nations to Christianity, viewing westward expansion as a way for the nation to maintain its agrarian values and to ward off the same political perils that plagued what he saw as an increasingly overcrowded Europe.