Discovering the Louisiana Purchase

After the acquisition of Louisiana, President Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this unknown land. Their expedition recorded details about the physical environment of the west, Native Americans, and other details of the new territory. You will gather information about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and learn of their many accomplishments.

Lewis & Clark Meriwether Lewis William Clark

Brain Pop Lewis & Clark Brain Pop

Vocabulary expedition:  a trip by a group of people to explore unknown places.  The group itself can also be called an expedition.

Westward Strategy:  The Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition:  Lewis & Clark http://www.lewis-clark.org

How Stuff Works - Lewis & Clark http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/ https://www.schooltube.com/Lewis & Clark

How Would You Discover a New Land? Imagine that you have just inherited a huge piece of property in Alaska.  Discuss what you would do first with your new land?

What’s Out There? Imagine being in Jefferson's place.  He needs to find out what is west of the Mississippi River. How can he do this? Brainstorm what would be important to learn about the new lands.

Lewis & Clark Map

Lewis & Clark Jefferson told Lewis and Clark to do the following: Describe its soil, plants, and animals- especially how we could use these resources to settle in these areas. Document, describe, and establish a relationship with the Native American tribes. Explore the Missouri River system to see how the waters flow to the Pacific Ocean…. …this was important because settlement patterns follow along navigable rivers with access to fertile soil.

Corps of Discovery On June 20, 1803, in Washington D.C., Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis Esquire, Captain of the first regiment of Infantry of the United States of America, to an exploration expedition.  This put in motion the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-1806. The "Corps of Discovery" or the "Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery" was the official name of the expedition.

How did they prepare? Lewis and Clark prepared for a year before making the expedition. They collected supplies, provisions, tools, and weapons.  They built boats and stocked materials for trading. Check out 5th grade website for cool Lewis and Clark learning activities.

Compass Navigation Lewis and Clark needed a compass to help them succeed in their journey.  The first compass was made in China by balancing a piece of loadstone carved in the shape of a ladle on a round, bronze plate. Lines of latitude go from the North Pole to the South Pole crossing the equator. Lines of latitude go from 0-90 degrees and half of that is 45 degrees. Have students practice counting the lines of latitude: 0, 45, 90, 135, 225, 270, 315, and 360 so they will know where the intermediate directions line up on the compass.

Compass Rose

Lines of Latitude