Lewis And Clark Expeditions: The Expedition Of Lewis And Clark

The Expeditions of Lewis and Clark America and I were astonished; President Jefferson doubled the size of the country with one purchase, the Louisiana Purchase. To add to the excitement, Meriwether Lewis asked me, a poor boat builder, to go along on the journey to the West. What was I going to do? Even though I made boats for a living, I had never explored past my little town in Virginia. After much contemplation, I thought, this is my time to explore the endless possibilities in what we Americans call life. Thomas Jefferson only wanted New Orleans and Florida for trading prior to receiving the Louisiana Purchase. After learning he could buy all the territory around it, he bought the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 (Foner and Garraty). At first, Napoleon Bonaparte, dictator of France, owned the territory, hoping to build an empire for himself in North America. After realizing his empire was bankrupt because of war, he decided to sell the piece of land (Foner and Garraty). The whole territory was more than 800,000 miles of land; it included all land west of the Mississippi River and to the Rocky Mountains. Prior to obtaining the Louisiana Purchase, the entire country was only about 800,000 square miles alone. Although Jefferson was a little hesitant, they bought the land for four cents an acre, or $15,000 (“Louisiana Purchase” Funk). Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were appointed to be leaders of the expedition of the West. Jefferson’s first appointed individual, Meriwether Lewis, was his private secretary, and William Clark was Lewis’s friend, who he suggested for a map maker for the trip to President Jefferson. Both were trusted military leaders as well (Foner and Garraty). Lewis and Clark began recruiting soldiers, boatmen, and interpreters just like me to help build boats, gather supplies, and make a master plan. We boatmen built three boats for this trip: a 55-inch keelboat and two smaller boats called pirogues. A keelboat is a long, flat boat