This picture shows Sacagawea along with Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. Sacagewea is an Indian that helped Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the Louisiana Territory. She served as a guide, translator, and helped them identify the flora and fauna of the area.
The Louisiana Purchase/Lewis and Clark
How did the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's expedition transform the nation?
On a fateful day in 1803, October 20th to be exact, Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States, purchased what was known as the Louisiana Territory, the area of land between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. This event came to be known as the Louisiana Purchase, which turned out to be a humongous bargain. Thomas Jefferson payed the French 15 million dollars for the territory, which came out to 4 cents an acre. The only problem was, no Americans had ever been over into that new frontier, so Jefferson found two men to do exactly that.
Merriweather Lewis, and William Clark were chosen to lead an expedition with 45 other men, to explore the Louisiana Territory. Their objectives were: 1) Find the Northwest Passage, an imaginary, but at the time believed to exist, waterway across North America, 2) Map the territory, 3) Record flora and fauna (plants and animals) of the West by bringing back specimens and keeping a journal with sketches, and 4) Bring peace to the land by trading with the Indians, negotiating treaties between tribes, and introducing the Indians to their "Great White Father," Thomas Jefferson. The 45 skilled frontiersmen they brought along, known as the Core of Discovery, were helpful in completing their successful journey across the West and back, only one man dying. They received help from Indian tribes, and one Indian girl named Sacagawea, who was a translator and guide.
Merriweather Lewis, and William Clark were chosen to lead an expedition with 45 other men, to explore the Louisiana Territory. Their objectives were: 1) Find the Northwest Passage, an imaginary, but at the time believed to exist, waterway across North America, 2) Map the territory, 3) Record flora and fauna (plants and animals) of the West by bringing back specimens and keeping a journal with sketches, and 4) Bring peace to the land by trading with the Indians, negotiating treaties between tribes, and introducing the Indians to their "Great White Father," Thomas Jefferson. The 45 skilled frontiersmen they brought along, known as the Core of Discovery, were helpful in completing their successful journey across the West and back, only one man dying. They received help from Indian tribes, and one Indian girl named Sacagawea, who was a translator and guide.
For more information: http://www.lewisandclark.org/_
The Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's expedition transformed the nation by almost doubling the land area of the United States by buying the Louisiana Territory, and discovering what lay in the frontier of the west by exploration and notation.