US History

Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)

Native Americans

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

A photograph of a portrait of Captain Meriwether Lewis, 1918. 

A letter from Meriwether Lewis requesting payment for supplies used on the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1806. 

Transcription:

Vincennes October 30th. 1806  
Sir,  
My Bill of Exchange No. 113 in favor of George Wallace Jnr. [Junior] on order for five hundred dollars, is an account of that sum advanced me in specie. and which when paid will be charged to me on the faith of my final settlement with the party who accompanied me to the Pacific Ocean, and for other public purposes.   
I have the honor to be with due consideration.  
Your Obt. [Obedient] Servt. [Servant]  
Meriwether Lewis Capt.  
1st M’S. [Missouri?] Regt.[Regimental] Infantry  
Genl. [General] Henry Dearborn  
Secretary of War


A letter from Meriwether Lewis to President James Madison about Lewis’s journey to deliver papers to Washington, 1809.

Transcription:

Chickasaw Bluffs, [TN]  
September 16th 09

Dear Sir,

I arrived here ^yesterday about [crossed out] PM very much exhausted from the heat of the climate, but having ^taken medicine feel much better this morning. My apprehension from the heat of the lower country and my fear of the original papers relative to my voyage to the Pacific ocean falling into the hands of the British has induced me to change my route and proceed by land through the state of Tennessee to the city of Washington. I bring with me duplicates of my voucher for public expenditures etc. which

*[page two]*

when fully explained, or reather [rather] the general view of the circumstances under which they were made I flatter myself that they ^will receive both ^sanction &^ approbation.

Provided my health permits no time shall be lost in reaching Washington, my anxiety to pursue and to fullfill [fulfill] the duties incident to ^the internal arrangements incident to the government of Louisiana has prevented my writing you more frequently. Inclosed I herewith transmit you a copy of the laws of the territory of Louisiana. I have the honor to be with the most sincere esteem your [illegible] and very humble

*[page three]*

[ftr?] and very humble Servant.  
Meriwether Lewis.

James Madison Esq.  
President U States


Meriwether Lewis’s telescope, manufactured in 1795.

A list of presents for Native Americans purchased by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for his expedition, 1803.

The list includes four dozen butcher knives, twelve dozen pocket looking-glasses, seventy-two pairs of striped ribbons, and eight brass kettles.

Transcription:

**Indian presents**

[header of first numeric column of table] no.  
12 Pipe Tomahawks . . . . . 8 ¾ . . . x 18 "  
6 ½  lb Strips Sheet Iron . . . . .6 ½ . . .x 1.62    
1 p. red flannel 47 ½ yd . . . . . 12 3/4 . 5 . 12 . 0 . x 14.94      
11 ps. Handkerchief ass[orted]. . . . . . 13 lb . 22 . 8 . 9 . x 59.83  
1 doz Ivory Combs . . . . 3 oz . 1 . 5 . 0 . x 3.33  
½ Catty Indn. S. Silk . . . . 7 oz . 1 . 8 . 1 ½ . x 3.75  
21 lb Tread ass[orted]. . . . . . 21 lb. 8. 13. 9. x 23.17     
1 ps. Scarlet Cloth 22 yd . . . . . 28 ¾ . 21 . 18 . 9 . x 58.50  
5 ½ doz fan: Hos ---------- 6 3.4} . . 7 . 1.  6 . x 18.87  
6 Gro[cer]: Binding . . . . . 9 ¼ }. . 4. 8. 5. x 11.79               
2 Cards Beads . . . . . 1 ¾} . 26 ½ . 1 . 8 . 6 . x 3.80  
4 doz: Butcher Knives ---------- 8 ¼ } .  . 2 . 0 . 0 . x 5.33  
12 doz. Pocket Looking Glass . . . . . 12 ½ lb . . . x 5.19  
15 doz. Pewter " " . . . . . 3 6/16 . . . x 3.99  
8 doz. Burning " " . . . . . 11 ¼ . . . x 12. ..  
2 doz . Nonsopretty . . . . . ¾ . . . x 2.94  
2 doz. Red Striped tapes[?] . . . . . 1 ½ . . . x 2.50  
72 ps Striped silk ribbon . . . . . 3 ¼ . . . x 39.60  
3 lb red Beads . . . . . 3 [illegible] . . . x 2.01   
6 Paper[?] Small Bells [illegible crossed out] . . . . . 1 ¼ . . . x 4.02  
1 box with 100 larger " " . . . . . . 1 3/16 . . . x 2.25  
73 B[?] Beads ass[orted] . . . . . 20 . . . x 41. ..  
3 ½ doz Tinsel Beads ass[orted] . . . . . 9 oz[?] . . . x 3.75  
1 # Thread [crossed out]  
1 doz: Needle cases . . . . 5 ½ oz . . . x .30  
2 /34 doz Lockets . . . . . 3 oz . . . x 3.56  
8 ½ [illegible] Red Beads . . . . . 8 ½ . . . x 25.50  
2 doz: Earrings . . . . . . . . . x 1. ..  
8 Brass kettles . . . . [illegible crossed out] 24/[illegible] 19 20 . 3 4 . 16 0 . x 10.14 10.67  
12 lb Brass Strips . . . . 12 lb . 2 . 11 . 0 . x 6.80  
500 Broaches . . . . . } . . . . x 62.07  
72 Rings . . . . . } 1 ½ lb } . . . x 6.00  
2 Corn Mills . . . . 52 ¾ . . . x 20.00  
15 doz: Scissors[?] . . . . . 17 ¼} [illegible crossed out] . . . x 18.97  
[subtotal of last column] confirmed 496.82  
add [to last column] 53  
[total of last column] 507.35  


A drawing by expedition sergeant Patrick Gass in 1807 of the men building their camps as they traveled.

A map of the Lewis and Clark expedition route overlaid on a map of the US in 1945.

A US dollar coin, minted in 2000, showing Lewis and Clark’s Shoshone guide, Sacagawea.

A 1903 map of the land gained through the Louisiana Purchase.

A picture of a Shoshone women and children, circa 1888-1892.

A photo of Mandan lodge made of sod similar to ones encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

A portrait of William Clark, circa 1790-1820.

A portrait of Thomas Jefferson, who was president when the Louisiana Territory was purchased and commissioned Lewis and Clark’s expedition.

A photograph of a 1905 sculpture of Sacagawea by Alice Cooper located in Portland, Oregon.

Questions

1. Compare and contrast the ways Sacagawea is portrayed on the [coin](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/sources/153) and in the [sculpture](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/sources/159). What does each say about her legacy?

2. Using the items in this set as evidence, describe the challenges that the Lewis and Clark faced. How did they prepare for and overcome these challenges?

3. Look at the [list of presents](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/sources/150) Lewis purchased for Native Americans he would meet in his travels. Select one of the gifts and speculate about how a Native American recipient might have reacted to this gift and put it to use.

4. Look at the [1945 map](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/sources/152) of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. What does this illustration of their journey reveal about their travels?

Activity

Based on ideas in this set and your other research about Lewis and Clark, pick a person from the Lewis and Clark Expedition and write a diary entry on a particular day of the journey. Include details about what you see, whom you encounter, which work you have to do, and how you face challenges. 

Teaching Guide: Exploring the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Resources

1. [Teaching With Documents: The Lewis and Clark Expedition](https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/lewis-clark/), the National Archives and Records Administration. 

2. [Lewis & Clark](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/), National Geographic. 

3. [Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery](http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/), PBS. 

4. [Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition](http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/), University of Nebraska Lincoln. 


Overview

The Lewis and Clark expedition was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson to explore and map the newly purchased Louisiana Territory, to identify a practical route to the Pacific Ocean, and to learn more about the native peoples who lived in the region. Headed by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark, the Corps of Discovery Expedition took place from May 1804 to September 1806. Lewis and Clark and the rest of the exploration party were the first Americans to travel through what became the western United States. The expedition included a Shoshone woman named Sacagawea who served as a translator, guide, and diplomat to the many native tribes they encountered. Jefferson was also interested in the flora and fauna of the European-untraveled West, and had hundreds of specimens sent back to Virginia during the two-year undertaking. This collection of images, letters, and maps provides information about the expedition leaders, the president that made the expedition possible, and the people they encountered along the way.

English

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

lewis-and-clark_02_77108df4a0ce1448e69116a5d6ac8d40.jpg

Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society Research Center via Big Sky Country Digital Network.

Lewis, Meriwether, “Meriwether Lewis letter, 1806,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/3b87383d36ac55406ccd0c1751baeded.

A letter from Meriwether Lewis requesting payment for supplies used on the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1806.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 2 of 14 in the Primary Source Set The Lewis and Clark Expedition