Due September 2nd, 2011
APUSH P.1
Chapter Seven Essay- The Jeffersonian Era
In the year of 1804, two men led an expedition of discovery that expanded a young nation's economic potential, increased its scientific understanding, and as well as enhanced its worldwide reputation. The significant westward expansion was called the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The United States third president, Thomas Jefferson, named Meriwether Lewis the main leader of the expedition and Lewis chose William Clark to accompany him on his glorious journey. Meriwhether Lewis was a veteran of Indian wars skilled in the ways of the wilderness and William Clark was Lewis's commanding officer in the army and also an experienced frontiersman and Indian …show more content…
After crossing the Rocky Mountains, the expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in the area of present-day Oregon in November 1805. They returned in 1806, bringing with them an immense amount of information about the region as well as numerous plant and animal specimens. Reports about geography, plant and animal life, and Indian cultures appeared all over the states local newspapers. Although Lewis and Clark failed to find a commercial route to Asia, they demonstrated the possibility of overland travel to the Pacific coast. They found Native Americans in the trans-Mississippi West accustomed to dealing with European traders and already connected to global markets. The success of their journey helped to strengthen the idea that United States territory was destined to expand its territories all the way to the Pacific coastline. The importance of the well-planned, well-executed expedition was crucial. Although it was not the first transcontinental crossing in the north, it still opened large new territories to the United States. The expedition's influence on the history of the West is immeasurable and