The Louisiana Of The United States - 1650 Words

In this country’s amazing history there have been very many important expeditions, encounterments, exchanges, and discoveries. Within this journey we see two very brave men that meet countless obstacles, converse between cultures, and explore some of the most beautiful land ever made. This land that was explored was called the Louisiana territory. The Louisiana Purchase was purchased in 1803 by Thomas Jefferson the president at that time. The Louisiana purchase was a land purchase between the United States and France, in which the U.S. gained around 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million dollars. This was the greatest land deal in history. The Louisiana territory was sold to the U.S by the†¦show more content†¦No one knew what the land held, many thought there were volcanoes, mountains of salt, or even the extinct wooly mammoth. Even before holding national office Thomas Jefferson tried to organize several expeditions in the Louisiana territory. Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774, in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was a boyhood neighbor of Thomas Jefferson. In 1794, Lewis joined the military and was commanded by Lieutenant William Clark. Lewis and Clark became good friends. In 1801 Jefferson, Lewis was asked by President Thomas Jefferson to act as his private secretary and he sent him the following letter, Your knowledge of the Western country, of the army, and of its interests and relations has rendered it desirable for public as well as private purposes that you should be engaged in that office. †¦. Lewis accepted the position. Soon after the President posed another offer to Meriwether Lewis- to lead an expedition into the land west of the Mississippi River. He asked him to gather information about plants, animals, and especially the people of the region- the indians. Lewis was very excited about the idea and agreed immediately. Lewis selected his old friend William Clark for his co-commander. Lewis’s invitation broke military protocol by proposing a dual command, but Lewis insisted that for the next two and a