Comparison Of Meriwether Lewis And William Clark

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark paved the way of the west for the present day American citizens. They traveled over 8,000 miles across the country by sailing, walking, canoeing and riding horses. Lewis was in charge of documenting all of the new plants and animals they came across. Clark took the responsibility for composing the maps of the rivers and the land in the west. Together, and with the help of their fellow members of the Corp of Discovery, they made one of the most memorized expeditions to this day. It all started when Thomas Jefferson made the decision to purchase the Louisiana Territory, also known as the Louisiana Purchase. He bought the land having no idea what it consisted of and he needed to find out what was there, therefore, he needed to contact someone who wanted to take this big responsibility into their own hands. Meriwether Lewis was Jefferson’s former secretary and he was also a captain in the U.S. Army. Jefferson was aware of what Lewis was capable of and right away he knew that he would be the perfect choice to lead the expedition. Lewis agreed to do it and he chose William Clark to be his partner for this journey. He met Clark when they were both serving in the military so he knew that Clark had the experience he needed. Together they traveled to St. Louis to recruit more people to join the expedition. They departed
During the expedition the Corp of Discovery discovered 48 Indian tribes, some of which were the Shoshone, Mandan, and Blackfeet Indians. These Indians helped them throughout the expedition and formed friendships with many members of the Corp of Discovery. However, little did the Indians know that once the men got back from the trip people would begin to settle in the West and that would drive a lot of them out of their home. For Americans it created a new way of life. It gave people new places to settle and new places to start something