Louisiana Purchase/ Lewis and Clark expeditions

What was the Louis and Clark expeditions?

The journey or expedition across a large part of North America led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from May 1804 to September 1806, exploring the newly acquired land of the Louisiana Purchase.

What was the Louisiana purchase?

A land acquisition in 1803 where the United States purchased about 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River from France for 15 million dollars, doubling the size of the country.

who was Sacagawea?

A Lemhi Shoshone woman who joined the Lewis and Clark expedition as an interpreter and guide, playing a vital role in the success of the journey by helping with diplomacy, identifying plants, and navigating the land.

Key Events

• Encountered the Lakota tribe (also known as the Sioux)

• Waited out the winter in Fort Mandan

• Sacagawea joined the group in April 1805

• Reached the Continental Divide

• Traveled through the Rocky Mountains

• Arrived at the Pacific Ocean in December 1805

Corps of Discovery

The expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, with goals to find the Northwest Passage, document geography, and establish relations with Native American tribes.

Fort Clatsop

The fort built by Lewis and Clark where they wintered near the Pacific Ocean at the end of their journey.

Northwest Passage

The sought-after all-water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean that Lewis and Clark failed to discover during their expedition.

when was the louisiana purchase?

1803

when were the lewis and clark expeditions?

1804-1806

Proclamation Line of 1763

Legal boundary set by the British to prevent American colonists from settling beyond lands gained from the French after the French and Indian War.