American Heroes~Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)~by rldubour

Knowing your American Heroes

Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)

President Thomas Jefferson

An advocate of western expansion.

Wrote to Meriwether Lewis

An asked to form an expedition.

The Louisiana Purchase

In eighteen-hundred and four.

Just two weeks after signing

Lewis was commissioned to explore.

Would be the first American

To the Pacific coast and back.

Congress would appropriate

Twenty-five hundred for the task.

The expedition would be called

The Corps of Discovery.

In a letter from the President

Dated June twenty, eighteen and three.

Lewis selected William Clark

Held the rank of Second Lieutenant.

Concealed this from the men

Referred as Captain by affirmant.

The object of the mission

To find a direct water way.

For the purposes of commerce

To report their route and survey.

They departed from Camp DuBois

On May fourteenth, eighteen and four.

A party of thirty-three men

Of unknown land they would explore.

On March two-three, eighteen and six

With great success they started home.

Made a major contribution

In mapping the land that they did roam.

TheU.S.gained extensive knowledge

Of major rivers and mountain ranges.

One hundred and twenty-two species of animals

For America brought many changes.

One hundred and seventy-eight plants

Described on their heroic journey.

The Lewis andClarkExpedition

Gained extensive knowledge of the geography.