American History Story: the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Introduction

The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 – 1805 was one of the most influential journeys in American history. It opened up new pathways and options for the country, and without it, America would be nowhere near what it is today. The Expedition was hard and treacherous but also beautiful and well worth the danger, although walking the same trail today would be much different. The Expedition was so crucial and important to the development of America that we have all begun to view just the surface of the journey and forget about the negative things associated with the Expedition.

Finally, after the Expedition, Lewis’ life has a tragic end. He commits suicide after living through all the hardships of his life.

Life Of Meriwether Lewis

Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774.1. Lewis was born in a place where he had access to the culture of the East and the freedom of the West. He could hunt and explore in the West but experience the culture and civility of the East. Lewis’s parents, William Lewis, and Lucy Meriwether, were of Welsh and English descent. Lewis spent most of his childhood outside playing and sharpening his survival skills, like hunting. Then as a teenager, Lewis went to Virginia for schooling and study under the advice of his uncle. Lewis received a formal education and later went to college, and graduated from Liberty Hall in 1793.

When Lewis grew to adulthood, he joined the state militia in 1794. During his service, he was used to stop the whiskey rebellion – a riot against taxes in Pennsylvania. Next year Lewis enlisted in the Army, where he served with William Clark, who would later become his partner in one of the greatest expeditions of all time. 3 During his time, he quickly rose in rank from an ensign to a captain in just five years. 4 Later, in 1801, President Jefferson asked Lewis to be his secretary. This partnership/friendship would open up the path for Jefferson to later ask Lewis to lead the Expedition into the American West. 

The Expedition

In 1803, Jefferson asked Lewis to lead an expedition into the newly purchased 800 million square mile American West. Additionally, he asked Lewis to document the plants, animals, and people native to that region. Lewis jumped at the opportunity, already being previously interested in exploration. 6 In 1804, after Lewis was appointed, he began to make preparations. He studied all sorts of things, from astronomy to medicine. He started looking for and hiring a crew to aid him on the journey.

He bought supplies, boats, equipment, and everything else they would need. After Lewis was more than prepared and learned all about the Expedition and its scientific benefits, he invited his old army friend Clark to lead alongside him. The Secretary of War did not allow two leaders on the same journey, but Lewis insisted that Clark be in the same position as him. 

The trip began with Lewis and his team heading down the Ohio River in an attempt to reach St. Louis. About 3 miles into the journey, Lewis stopped at an island to demonstrate his air gun to his men. He fired seven times, then passed the gun around to his men. The gun went off by accident and ended up hitting a lady in the temple. They thought she was dead, but she soon revived, much to their relief. Lewis never passed the air gun around again. They would travel by boat, and very slowly at that. Ten miles a day was the usual limit during this time of the journey, as after 10 miles, Lewis and his men were exhausted. 8
Once they made it down Ohio and arrived at St. Louis, they set out again, going up the Missouri River. All the way up to the source. Throughout the journey, the men averaged about 15 miles per day. 9 They traveled all the way up the Missouri until they came to the source. Afterward, they had to cross the Rocky Mountains and make it to the Pacific Ocean. Once there, they had to return back to St. Louis, thus ending the greatest Expedition in American history.

The expedition crew experienced both beauty and hardships. The entire trek up the Missouri River was described as arduous. They dealt with heat, swarms of insects, and other creatures, including bears, all while wrestling with the strong currents of Missouri. Let’s also not forget about the Indian tribes, such as the Teton, who, on occasion, would block the river from the team and demand payment, although this did not end in conflict with negotiation. If it had ended with conflict, the Expedition would have ended right there. It wiped out in an instant. 

But there were good times, too. Exploring the American wilderness like that must have been incredible and breathtaking. When they were not traveling or being attacked by Indians, Lewis was taking notes on everything he saw, every planet, every animal, and every new sight he gazed upon. Luckily for us, these notes are now a national treasure and are completely documented.

This means that we get to get a sense of all the beautiful things Lewis saw. Most of the entries start with “a fine morning,” but I think that the journal entry dated November 2, 1804, from William Clark sums up how peaceful and calm the Expedition could be at some times:

“This morning at daylight, I went down the river with my men to look for a proper place to winter. Proceeded down the river three miles, and found a place well supplied with wood, and returned….Cut down the trees around our camp. In the evening, Captain Lewis returned with a present of 11 bushels of corn….A fine morning. We continued to cut down trees and raise our houses.” 

Even though this entry does not actually describe beautiful sights, it does give the reader a sense of calm and peacefulness upon reading. It would’ve been nice to walk that trial with them. I suppose you could, actually. You can still walk the same trail today. In fact, the speculated path they took is only about 10 miles off from my home. If you were to walk that trail, though, it wouldn’t be the same. In some places, sure, there is wilderness, and you might encounter a few sights to behold, but back then, there was just a vast wilderness. There are now huge cities packed full of people and technology. Which probably would have been quite the sight for Lewis and Clark, I suppose.

After the Expedition

When the crew finally returned home from the journey, I don’t think they knew they just completed the greatest Expedition in American history, but it would be obvious soon. As stated previously, Lewis and Clark kept a detailed journal throughout the Expedition, although there were some times when there would be monthly long gaps in the journal for unexplained reasons. 12 Nevertheless, Lewis’ journal was filled to the brim with all sorts of things, descriptions of the trip, logs of conversations with Indian tribes, samples and descriptions of new plant and animal species, and even a map of the land. All of this had an astounding impact on the future of science and would make future exploration much easier. You get the point; the Expedition was important. And sure, it was important, but it has been treated superficially. Not just the Expedition itself but Lewis in particular.

I can remember learning about this Expedition and Lewis and Clark in middle school, and Lewis, especially, was treated as a perfect person. He was the leader of the greatest Expedition of all time, I suppose, but I remember hearing about none of his flaws when I first was taught about him. I didn’t even know he committed suicide until last year.

I think because the trip they made was so influential on American history that people just tend to forget that there were real people behind it. People with flaws and problems. That’s part of what makes Undaunted Courage such a good book. It tells the story but includes the flaws and the problems with an unbiased version of the story. Maybe that’s why Ambrose wrote the book, to provide all the knowledge of a very important part of history.

After the Expedition, Lewis commits suicide. No one but him really knows why. He didn’t die, leaving nothing behind, however. All his findings were still a massive push for science and knowledge. We learned so much from him and the things he wrote. He had such a legacy that children learn about him in school, and his findings are now held in high regard. In his time, he left all his findings and research that would later be used in future expeditions. In our time, 200 years in the future, his findings and data are national treasures and are archived on the internet, thus being available to everyone to read and look through.
There is an irony, though. A man who endured that harsh journey, who did all that work for his country and for science, and who returned back a celebrated man, a hero that everyone loved – committed suicide. No one alive knows why he did it, but it’s alright. He did not die in vain. We still have all his research and data. Lewis is still seen as a hero for what he did. I think that would make him happy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 – 1805 was one of the most influential journeys in American history. It opened up new pathways and options for the country, and without it, America would be nowhere near what it is today. The Expedition was hard and treacherous but also beautiful and well worth the danger when compared to what science gained from it. And Lewis, although the captain and genius of the Expedition, had flaws and was just a regular person. And even though he committed suicide later in life, he did not die in vain, for his legacy lives on.

Bibliography

1. Stephen E. Ambrose, Undaunted Courage; Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003), 19.
2. ‘Meriwether Lewis.’ Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/people/meriwether-lewis-9381267 (accessed November 14, 2018).
3. Buckley, Jay H.’ Meriwether Lewis.’ Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Meriwether-Lewis (accessed November 15, 2018).
4. “1804-06 Lewis and Clark Expedition Documentary.” (online video). November 15, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ6wTFKvIE8.
5. Vandermolen, Larry, and Irene Cheung. “Journals of Exploration.” http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/eamerica/media/ch9/resources/documents/lewisclark.htm (accessed November 18, 2018).

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