Westward ExpansionWhen Thomas Jefferson was president, knowledge of the West was limited. On January 18, 1803, Jefferson sent a letter to Congress asking for money to fund an expedition to explore the West. Jefferson was fascinated by what could be learned.
Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis, his former secretary, to lead the expedition. While a captain in the Army, Lewis served in a rifle company where he met William Clark. Lewis chose Clark to accompany him in leading the expedition, known today as the "Corps of Discovery." On February 28, 1803, Congress gave the money to fund the expedition.
At the time Lewis and Clark were preparing for their journey, the Native Americans were already settled there. The main tribes that lived in the West were the Mandans, Hidatsas, and the Sahnish. They had been on that land for almost a thousand years (on record) and still, they were forced to move.
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