Lewis And Clark Manifest Destiny

One of the central pillars of American history and idealism is the concept of manifest destiny. Which according to the Random House Dictionary is the nineteenth century belief and doctrine of the United States, that it was their God given destiny to expand its territory over North America, thereby enhancing their sovereignty and increasing their political, economic and social influence on the world stage. This term was not created until later in the century, post Lewis and Clark expedition. However it was most certainly one of the main goals of the expedition. Lewis and Clark were not the first group of white men to explore areas of the west, though none were quite as influential or as important to supporting manifest destiny. However these two explorers, Lewis and Clark not only supported manifest density, they also made significant contributions to scientific and cartographical knowledge of the western frontier. Their voyage across the United States stands out from other explorations of the west, due to the numerous journals that Lewis and Clark as well as their expedition team wrote in, almost every day. These journals represent first hand records of everything they encountered, thus preserving their journey for hundreds of years to come and allowing for their additions to the scientific community of the United States to be preserved.

When Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third President of the United States in 1801, the majority of the population lived within a fifty-mile radius of the Atlantic Ocean, very little was known about the west. Though what was known was grossly outdated information from the French traders as well as British and Spanish explores in the earlier centuries. Jefferson was a vast believer and suppor...

... middle of paper ...

... as set out by President Jefferson there were many. Not only did they alter the face of this rapidly changing country and its imperial struggle for control over North America, more specifically the Pacific Northwest and the Louisiana Territory. It greatly strengthened the United States claims in these areas through numerous peaceful encounters with the indigenous peoples and tribes, which allowed for increased interest in the American commercial front, which was the fur trade. Their expedition also led to an increase in various explorations and exploitations in the direction of the West. The duo also made incredible advancements in the geographic and topographical knowledge of the Upper Missouri, producing various maps as well as notes on the areas they traversed. Which would kick start the net centuries great migration of American people in to the west.