Lewis and Clark in Montana Chapter 4, Section 2. Manifest Destiny What made Americans think they could claim whatever land they wanted? It was an idea.

Lewis and Clark in Lewis and Clark in MontanaMontana

Chapter 4, Section 2Chapter 4, Section 2

Manifest DestinyManifest Destiny• What made Americans think they

could claim whatever land they wanted?

• It was an idea called Manifest Destiny, which meant that Europeans believed that God had given them the North American continent to spread their culture and ideas.

• They thought it was their duty to bring civilization to America, meaning agriculture and Christianity

The Louisiana Purchase (1803)The Louisiana Purchase (1803)• Napoleon hoped to build an

empire not only in Europe, but also in America.

• However, he was desperate for money to fuel his military campaigns in Europe. His colonies in America also started revolting at this time.

• In 1803 Napoleon offered to sell the Louisiana Purchase to the United States for $15 million, doubling the nation’s size!

The Purposes of the The Purposes of the ExpeditionExpedition

• The Lewis and Clark expedition was different from earlier expeditions into the west.

– Instead of looking for good fur country, they searched for the Northwest Passage.

– They traveled as a military corps.– They were sent to establish trade

relations with Native Americans. Also, they introduced Indians to their new “Great Father.”

Purposes of the ExpeditionPurposes of the Expedition• Exploratory – To explore the new

borders of U.S. and discover new wonders in the West.

• Trade – With Asia and with western tribes.

• Scientific – To classify new species of plants and wildlife and study western geology.

• Geopolitical – To compete for control of the Northwest with the British and Russians.

Theories of the WestTheories of the West

• Continental Symmetry - That the west coast had only a small range of mountains beyond the coast that mirrored the east.

• Pyramidal Height of Land – That all great rivers of the west came from one mountain peak. One simply had to paddle up to it and walk around it to find the Colombia.

• Lost Tribe of the Welch – That ancient Britons traveled to America and still lived in the west in 1803.

• A Mountain of Pure Salt – Enough said.

And many like Jefferson believed

that animals such as mastodons still

roamed the west.

Early Attempts at ExplorationEarly Attempts at Exploration• George Rogers Clark (1783) – Asked

by Jefferson to explore the West but Clark’s big bro rejected the offer.

• John Ledyard (1786) – Planned to walk through Russia, cross the Pacific and walk from the West Coast back to the East. He was stopped in Siberia, however, by Catherine the Great and sent to Poland.

• Alexander Mackenzie (1789) - Crossed the Canadian Rockies to the West Coast.

• Andre Michaux (1793) – A Frenchman hired by Jefferson to explore the West. He was fired, however, for connections to a Frenchman causing riots across American.

Alexander Mackenzie

Meriwether LewisMeriwether Lewis• Born in 1774 and raised in Virginia• Father died in the American Revolution.• Introverted, and prone to depression. • Had a good education then joined the

U.S. military in the 1790’s.• Invited to be Jefferson’s secretary in

1801 and became the son he never had.• When Congress approved an expedition

to the west in 1803, Lewis was the obvious choice to lead it.

William ClarkWilliam Clark• Born in 1770 near Charlottesville, the ninth

of ten children.• Brother George was a Revolutionary War

hero. The family moved west in 1780 and founded Louisville.

• Outgoing and likable.• Rose through the military ranks and was

Lewis’ superior officer and friend in 1790’s.• He was officially only a second lieutenant in

1803, but Lewis never told anyone that he was not his co-captain.

• Brilliant and resourceful - his final map of the West, made by dead-reckoning, was only off by a forty miles!

Notable Members of the 40 Notable Members of the 40 • Floyd – The sergeant known as the only

member that died. • Ordway – A young officer that was often

disrespected.• Patrick Gass – Became an officer after

Floyd’s death.• Shannon – This youngest member who

repeatedly got lost.• Droulliard – Translator and hunter, a true

mountain man (pictured right.)• Colter – A mountain man whose adventure

only began with the expedition.• Cruzatte – A one-eyed fiddler and river

navigator.

Unusual Members of the PartyUnusual Members of the Party• Toussaint Charbonneau – A

French translator who was of little use.

• Sacagawea – A Shoshone bride of Charbonneau that helped the Corps get horses in Montana.

• York – Clark’s slave who was revered by Native tribes who had never before seen a black man.

Party Members that Couldn’t TalkParty Members that Couldn’t Talk

• Pomp – Sacagawea’s son born at Fort Mandan in 1805. Went on to be adopted by a German prince.

• Seaman – Lewis’s huge black Newfoundland dog that made the entire journey with him.

Embarking from Camp DuboisEmbarking from Camp Dubois

• The Corps wintered at Fort Dubois near St. Louis (1803-4.) There the soldiers trained in strict military fashion and became excellent marksmen.

• The Corps set out from Camp Dubois and up the Missouri on May 14, 1804.

• They passed major rivers but continued up the Missouri, sometimes meeting with tribes and exchanging gifts.

An Early Low Point (1804)An Early Low Point (1804)

• Several of the party had attempted desertion and were flogged.

• Sergeant Floyd died of a ruptured appendix in present day Iowa.

• A battle nearly broke out between the expedition and the Teton Sioux.

• Shannon became lost and nearly starved to death.

Floyd’s Monument

Fort Mandan (1804-5)Fort Mandan (1804-5)• The Corps stayed their

first winter (1804-5) with the Mandan Indians in North Dakota.

• The Mandan lived in 5 huge villages and had

been trading with whites for 75 years.• The men built, and lived in, Fort Mandan and

talked with the Hidatsa Indians about what lay to the west.

• They also hired Charbonneau and Sacagawea.

On the Road Again (1805)On the Road Again (1805)

• That spring, many of the men floated back down the Missouri to Washington D.C. There were now only 33 members left.

• In April, they entered present day Montana after the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri.

• A confluence is where two rivers of the same size come together.

• In May, they finally saw a grizzly, or “White Bear” for the first time. They shot it ten times and even then it walked away.

At The Great Falls a Grizzly snuck up on Lewis while his rifle

was unloaded. Lewis ran away into the river and used his espontoon to ward off the bear.

The White CliffsThe White Cliffs

• After passing the Judith River, Lewis and Clark traveled through the White Cliffs in the Badlands.

• In May the Corps also saw the Mountains for the first time. They believed they were the Rockies, and that they were nearing the Ocean. They were very, very wrong.

Decision PointDecision Point

• On June 2nd they reached a dilemma. The Missouri forked into two rivers. One was muddy (like the Missouri) and continued to the northwest. The other was clear and turned south. Both Rivers were equally wide.

• The Captains wanted to continue on the clear river, but some of the crew insisted on the muddy one.

Decision PointDecision Point

• The crew nearly mutinied when the Captains chose to take the clear river, but Lewis and Clark had information from the Hidatsa to guide them.

• After days of studying each river, the crew finally put their faith in the Captains and followed the clear river.

• On June 13th, Lewis heard the Great Falls and saw its mist from miles away – the expedition had come the right way.

The Portage (1805)The Portage (1805)• The Corps had to portage

thousands of pounds of supplies around 18 miles of steep, treacherous landscape.

• The men were troubled by cactus, rattlesnakes, mosquitoes, extreme heat and giant hail. On June 29th Clark and Sacagawea were nearly killed in a flash flood.

The Iron The Iron Framed BoatFramed Boat

• Lewis felt it was time to build his iron frame boat.

• Lewis simply pieced together the frame and covered it with skins, but the seams kept coming unglued.

• His invention of a portable boat failed, and Lewis cached the boat near the Great Falls for later use.

The Corps Moves OnThe Corps Moves On• During the portage, the Giant

Springs was discovered and Sacagawea was healed from horrible illness after drinking from a sulfur springs.

• It took almost a month to portage around the falls but in July it was finally time to move on.

• After passing present day Helena they went through the Gates of the Mountains.

Recognizing Three ForksRecognizing Three Forks

• Clark found the Three Forks in late July. Sacagawea recognized the country from her youth.

• The rivers were named the Jefferson, the Madison (Secretary of State) and the Gallatin (Secretary of Treasury). The party followed the large Jefferson River.

• The Jefferson soon forked, and the party followed the Beaverhead River.

In Need of Help In Need of Help • The expedition hadn’t seen a single native

since entering Montana. It was late in the season and they badly needed to trade for horses so they could cross the mountains.

• After a time, Sacagawea recognized another landmark – Beaverhead Rock – they were in the Shoshone’s territory.

The SourceThe Source• In August, Lewis followed a small fork

of the Beaverhead River up to Lemhi Pass.

• Along the way he noticed a Shoshone rider in the distance. Lewis shouted at the rider, but he rode away.

• The mood was still joyous. Lewis and a few of the men climbed up Lemhi and straddled a spring that he declared the source of the Missouri.

The Horrible TruthThe Horrible Truth

• Once atop Lemhi Pass, Lewis expected to see a river on the other side, winding down into the Pacific Ocean.

• What he found instead were giant mountain ranges as far as he could see. The Corps of Discovery had failed to find a Northwest Passage.

• Now, more than ever, they desperately needed horses to cross the mountains.

The Reunion at Camp FortunateThe Reunion at Camp Fortunate

• Lewis finally stumbled upon the Shoshone in Southwest Montana and established Camp Fortunate.

• However, the Shoshone were anxious to move east to meet the Salish for the annual bison hunt – they almost abandoned the Corps until they recognized Sacagawea.

Much Needed HelpMuch Needed Help

• The main reason the Shoshone helped the expedition was because Sacagawea recognized the Chief, Cameahwait, as her brother.

• The tribe agreed to stay and talk, (Shoshone to Hidatsa, Hidatsa to French, French to English) trade for horses and lend out guides to help the Corps cross the Rockies.