Sacagawea Research Paper

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Pages: 3

Sacagawea, a kind hearted Native American woman lived from May 1788 to December 1812. Sacagawea was a very important figure in the Corps of Discovery expedition and aided Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. During the expedition, she was a guide and translator and made cultural meetings with Native Americans and gave Lewis and Clark significant contribution during the expedition as they traveled from North Dakota all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Background and Historical Context: Sacagawea was born in today’s Central Montana and her life was peaceful and quiet, however Sacagawea’s life was about to be turned upside down. When Sacagawea was twelve, the Hidatsa War Party, a formidable enemy tribe, attacked the Shoshone people while …show more content…
Sacagawea was a slave until she married in 1803 after she fell in love with a Minataree man. Her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, treated her very badly and Sacagawea felt like she was still a slave. In 1804, when Sacagawea had become fourteen, she had become pregnant. Meanwhile, her husband heard of an expedition led by two men, those men were Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. Sacagawea’s husband wished to join them as a translator, but they were hesitant, so he told them he had two wives who were both Shoshone and they could help the expedition on their journey by helping them get the horses they needed to reach the Pacific and to get the food they needed to survive. Lewis and Clark had let him come if he brought one of his wives, Sacagawea. Contributions: Sacagawea’s knowledge is very useful and important. She found fruits that they didn't know at the time, helped prevent a deadly disease. During the winter, the ice and snow began to freeze the shores and rivers. The biggest of all the boats that the expedition took had started to sink and tumble, and sent all of the journals, papers, medicine, and things that he was going to trade with the Native Americans down the river’s