The Lewis and Clark expedition was important for a variety of reasons but primarily as it discovered hundreds of new plants and animals, mapped a route to the Pacific Ocean, spurred Manifest Destiny, and opened diplomatic relations with the plains Native Americans.
Was the Lewis and Clark expedition a good thing?
Despite Lewis’ tragic end, his expedition with Clark remains one of America’s most famous. The duo and their crew—with the aid of Sacagawea and other Native Americans—helped strengthen America’s claim to the West and inspired countless other explorers and western pioneers.
Why was the Lewis and Clark expedition valuable?
The Importance Of The Expedition
Lewis and Clark achieved an impressive record of peaceful cooperation with the natives and generated American interest in the fur trade. This had a far-reaching effect, leading to further exploration and commercial exploitation of the West.
What effects did the Lewis and Clark expedition accomplish?
Lewis and Clark’s team mapped uncharted land, rivers, and mountains. They brought back journals filled with details about Native American tribes and scientific notes about plants and animals they’d never seen before. They also brought back stories—tales that made other Americans dream about heading west.
What is one negative impact of the Lewis and Clark expedition?
For Native Peoples, the aftermath of the Lewis and Clark was anything but a positive experience. Perhaps the most devastating was the outbreak of smallpox among the Mandan in 1837, an epidemic which all but destroyed the once-powerful group.
Did the Lewis and Clark expedition fail?
They failed at their primary mission. Jefferson had dispatched them to find a water route across the continent—the fabled Northwest Passage—but they discovered that water transport from coast to coast was impossible.
What were 3 results of the Lewis and Clark exploration?
Nevertheless, the expedition contributed significant geographic and scientific knowledge of the West, aided the expansion of the fur trade, and strengthened U.S. claims to the Pacific. Clark’s maps portraying the geography of the West, printed in 1810 and 1814, were the best available until the 1840s.
How did Lewis and Clark impact Native Americans?
To indigenous Americans, however, the Lewis and Clark Expedition symbolizes a devastating U.S. citizen invasion that challenged their ways of life. As eastern populations moved West, the government enacted policies of removal and relocation to free up land for new settlers.
How were Lewis and Clark disrespectful?
First, they were constantly threatening the tribes. Based on Lewis’ speech to the Otoe tribe, he did not respect the Native Americans at all. He addressed them as “children” at least ten times in the short speech that he gave.
What did Lewis and Clark not accomplish?
President Jefferson’s orders were far-reaching. While Lewis and Clark did not discover a Northwest Passage or start the western fur trade or overland immigration, they certainly influenced the latter two movements.
What was Lewis and Clark’s most lasting impact?
The expedition opened up new territory for the fur and lumber trade and pointed out the best lands for future settlement and agriculture. It allowed a young country to blossom into greatness, because more land had equated to more resources and therefore, more power.
How many people did Lewis and Clark lose?
one member
Only one member of the expedition died during the trip.
The Lewis and Clark expedition suffered its first fatality in August 1804, when Sergeant Charles Floyd died near modern day Sioux City, Iowa. Lewis diagnosed him as having “bilious colic,” but historians now believe he suffered from a burst appendix.
What was the only fatality of the Lewis and Clark expedition?
Kentuckian Charles Floyd
On the death of Kentuckian Charles Floyd, August 20, 1804–the only casualty of the Lewis and Clark expedition: a solution to a 200-year-old medical mystery.
Which of the tasks of the Lewis and Clark expedition was unsuccessful?
Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery triumphantly returned to St. Louis in 1806. Though unsuccessful in their mission to find a water route to the Pacific, they came back with the other information Jefferson wanted – their journals and sketchbooks were filled with incredible details of the western lands.
What was the most significant finding of the Lewis and Clark expedition?
One of the most important results of the Lewis and Clark expedition was their “discovery” of hundreds of new plants and animals. These plants and animals weren’t truly discovered, it was merely the first time western explorers documented and introduced them to western civilization.
What was Lewis and Clark’s most important discovery?
The Lewis and Clark Expedition Discoveries Along the Way
One of the most important accomplishments of the Corps of Discovery was the mapping of the territory and creating a presence within the newly purchased area known as the Louisiana Purchase or Louisiana Territory.
What happened after Lewis and Clark finished their expedition?
After the expedition ended, Clark traveled in 1807 to St. Louis to take up duties as chief Indian agent for the Territory of Upper Louisiana, bringing York with him. A rift developed between the two men: York had wanted to remain in Kentucky, near his wife, whom he hadn’t seen in almost five years.
Did the Native Americans welcome Lewis and Clark?
Some tribes along the Lewis and Clark Trail were friendly to the Corps of Discovery, which was championed by Jefferson, the third president of the United States, following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
How much meat did Lewis and Clark eat?
Their favorite foods were always elk, beaver tail, and buffalo, and when they were struggling up the Missouri the men ate prodigious amounts of it, up to nine pounds of meat per man per day.
How much did the Lewis and Clark Expedition cost?
On January 18, 1803, Thomas Jefferson requests funding from Congress to finance the Lewis and Clark expedition. Jefferson officially asked for $2,500 in funding from Congress, though some sources indicate the expedition ultimately cost closer to $50,000.
Did Lewis and Clark have any help?
An enslaved black man known only as York took part in the expedition as personal servant to William Clark, his owner. York did much to help the expedition succeed. He proved popular with the Native Americans, who had never seen a black man.