Lewis and Clark

Discover the Lewis and Clark Expedition!

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark Watch the video clip to learn some background information about Lewis and Clark's contributions to American history! Lewis and Clark Lewis and Clark's Expedition Read the article. You will use the information to answer the questions below. National Geographic Kids "America Travels West" article Read the sentences. Use what you have learned from the passage to fill in the appropriate words in the blanks. Lewis and Clark explored 8000 miles of land that the United States had recently acquired in the Westward Expansion. Jefferson wanted to plan an expedition to investigate the newly acquired territory. He called the proposed mission the Voyage of Discoveryand began assembling a team of explorers called the Corps (KOR) of Discovery. Lewis and Clark were leaders in this expedition. In the spring of 1804, Lewis, Clark, and dozens of other men left St. Louis, Missouri, by boat. In November they reached present-day North Dakota. There they met a young Native American woman called Sacagawea and her fur-trader husband, Toussaint Charbonneau. The couple joined the expedition as interpreters, translating the language of the local tribes for Lewis and Clark’s men. Sacagawea didn’t just serve as an interpreter during the trip, however. She helped Lewis and Clark’s men obtain essential supplies and horses, identified edible plants and herbs, and prevented hostile relations with other tribes simply by being with the group—all while carrying her newborn baby on her back. The Corps traveled west from North Dakota, 15 to 20 miles a day on foot and by boat, toward the mountains. Day after day, the exhausted, freezing team braved rough rivers and perilous peaks, getting by on very little food. They wouldn’t see the Pacific Ocean until November 1805—over a year after they first left Missouri. Lewis and Clark’s team mapped uncharted land, rivers, and mountains. They brought back journalsfilled with details about Native American tribesand scientific notes about plantsand animals they’d never seen before. They also brought back stories—tales that made other Americans dream about heading west.