In 1803, Thomas Jefferson wrote a confidential letter to congress asking if he could have $2,500 to fund a trip for an “intelligent officer” with ten to twelve men to navigate the northwest area past the Mississippi river (Jefferson 1). Thomas Jefferson was eager …show more content…
Jefferson was amazed by the culture of the Native Americans, as well as their language. He loved the different plants, soil, animals, weather and how everything was different in the West. Therefore, Thomas Jefferson was very eager to explore the west. After congress approved his letter, it would become the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
According to a secondary source,my history textbook “America: A Narrative History,” Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were sent on a mission to explore the Louisiana Purchase by Thomas Jefferson after he bought the land from the french emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. Lewis and Clark both took off from St. Louis to explore the land and learn to live off their surroundings. They both kept detailed journals of their travels and drew thorough maps of the undiscovered regions beyond the …show more content…
Lewis and Clark saw the traditions and culture of the Native Americans and enjoyed exploring the territory. They both loved the benefit of serving under Jefferson, in fact they even named a river after him on their expedition. Because both of them loved the wilderness and everything that appeared with it, I am almost certain that they would have envisioned the territory as a free land for all to prosper and enjoy under Jefferson’s presidency. Lewis and Clark most likely wanted the Americans to befriend the Native Americans since they taught them so much, such as teaching them how to “fashion clothes out of deer hides” and “hunting techniques”(Tindall 337). I am sure they envisioned American’s learning of what the Indians taught them. Lewis and Clark would have envisioned the territory as a land for everyone to expand their knowledge and love for