On This Day With Lewis and Clark

NCSS.D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.

NCSS.D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.

NCSS.D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.

NCSS.D2.His.12.9-12. Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to pursue further inquiry and investigate additional sources.

NCSS.D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

NCSS.D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.

NCSS.D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.

• This lesson is intended for use by classes studying the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Before beginning, students should have some understanding of the geographic extent of the U.S. prior to the Louisiana Purchase, and the benefits of acquiring more territory. Gather basic background information on President Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition through these EDSITEment resources:Another useful instructional tool is the Ken Burns documentary "Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery," around which the EDSITEment-reviewed website Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery was created.
  • The Jefferson Presidency: Foreign Affairs available through The American President
  • America's Library: Louisiana Purchase available through a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed American Memory
  • America's Library: Who is Meriwether Lewis? available through a link from American Memory
• Additional research materials for teachers seeking historical background on Lewis and Clark are the books Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose and Lewis and Clark and the Image of the American Northwest by Dr. John Allen.
• For the "Specialists" activity (Lesson 4), select an appropriate number of diary entries for each group from the list provided—zoologists, botanists, meteorologists, Native American experts and geologist/geographers. If a greater number of groups is desirable, consider creating two groups for each type of specialist (i.e., early zoological entries and later zoological entries), since there are many entries available.
• This activity works best using two large maps: NOTE: It might also be helpful to provide groups with individual outline maps to use as working drafts.
  • A standard classroom display map of the U.S. (commercial) on which students can write with erasable marker or to which items can be taped without harm. On this map, important dates will be affixed to guide in the creation of a map-based summary of the expedition.
  • A large, simple outline map of the U.S. (homemade, on the bulletin or chalk board) on which students will eventually draw or attach symbols to represent information from the expedition.
• Teachers' Resources (formerly, The Digital Classroom), available through EDSITEment, offers a series of worksheets for analyzing primary source documents, including written documents and photographs, that you may wish to use or adapt to help students in reviewing the materials presented in this unit.

Activity 1. What They Didn't Know

To help students understand the degree to which the American West was unknown before the Lewis and Clark Expedition, give them the following quiz. Before you begin, ask the students if they think they know a lot about the West. Do they think they know more than Thomas Jefferson did?

Have students number their papers from 1 to 10. For each item you name, they should write "T" if they believe the statement to be true, or "F" if they believe it to be false.

Give students a moment to write their response to each of the following statements, all beginning with:

At the time Thomas Jefferson was living …

1. there were woolly mammoths roaming the West.
2. there was a tribe of blue-eyed Indians living in the West who spoke Welsh, the language of people from Wales, a region on the west coast of the island of Great Britain.
3. there was a river or series of connected rivers, starting at the Mississippi, that crossed the western mountains and reached the Pacific Ocean.
4. the Blue Ridge Mountains were taller than the Rocky Mountains.
5. the West had many erupting volcanoes.
6. unicorns could be found in the West.
7. there were mountains in the West made of undissolved salt.
8. some beavers in the West were seven feet tall.
9. buffaloes were friendly and had slim waists.
10. Peruvian llamas roamed the West.

When the quiz is over, tell the students that though all of these statements are false, it is likely that Thomas Jefferson believed many of them to be true because such "facts" were included in books in his library. (Note: The students can put the quiz away. No one will ever have to share answers.)

According to Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, maps of the West proved as fictitious as the books in Jefferson's library. European geographers, for example, drew maps depicting California as an island. Other maps showed the Rocky Mountains to be narrow and undaunting.

Share with the class a copy of The Aaron Arrowsmith Map of 1802, available on the EDSITEment-reviewed website Exploring the West from Monticello, which depicts the West prior to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. (Note: The map is the lower half of "A Map Exhibiting all the New Discoveries" from an edition labeled "1795, with additions to 1811." The lower half of the map is identical to the 1802 edition.)

• What do the students notice? The map is largely blank!

According to Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery:

"The lack of detail in maps circa 1803 hinted at the enormous task to be faced by the Lewis and Clark expedition. Before the journey, Meriwether Lewis had map collector Albert Gallatin make a special map that showed North America from the Pacific coast to the Mississippi."

The map depicted only three points of certainty: the latitude and longitude of the mouth of the Columbia and of St. Louis, and details of what was known of the Missouri River up to the Mandan villages in the Great Bend of the river (today's Bismarck, North Dakota). The map also estimated how the Rockies might look and the course of the Columbia River, which no one had charted beyond its mouth.

But the area that lay west of the Mandan villages was blank, and the best minds in the world could not fill in that blank until someone had walked the land, taken measurements and described the flora, fauna, rivers, mountains and people. Observations of the commercial and agricultural possibilities of the regions were equally crucial.

After reviewing the map, students will vicariously experience the discoveries made by the men on the journey by reading excerpts from their diaries. But first, students will become oriented to the journey by tracking some key dates on a contemporary map.

Activity 2. If It's November 24th, This Must Be Astoria

The students begin by looking at a map of the U.S. showing the Louisiana Purchase, accessible through the EDSITEment resource American Memory from the Library of Congress. In the days when travel was limited to the capabilities of boat, horse and foot travel, what route would students have chosen to take through the territory to reach the Pacific Ocean?

Have students look at an 1802 map of the West that includes more detail: Soulard Map of the Missouri and Upper Mississippi, 1802 by William Clark, available in the map section of the EDSITEment resource Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. Compare it to a contemporary map of this region. In what ways is Clark's map close to being correct? In what ways is it incorrect?

If desired, students can research the average mileage covered by car, foot, horseback, raft or boat. Lewis and Clark traveled a total of 8,000 miles. How long would it take to travel that distance using these modes of transportation?

The purpose of the next activity is to develop students' sense of the progress of the outbound journey of Lewis and Clark. They will affix dates relevant to the expedition onto the large contemporary political map as guides for eventually placing their "specialist" information (see Activity 4) on the large outline map. (Note: The locations are those specified in the Timeline of the Trip, from the EDSITEment resource Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.)

Hand out an appropriate number of small cards with any, or all, of the following dates and locations:

• March 14, 1804 St. Louis, Missouri
• August 3, 1804 Omaha, Nebraska
• August 20, 1804 Sioux City, Iowa
• September 25, 1804 Pierre, South Dakota
• Oct. 24, 1804 - April 7, 1805 Bismarck, North Dakota
• April 29, 1805 where the Yellowstone River flows into the Missouri
• June 2, 1805 fork in the Missouri
• June 13, 1805 Great Falls, Montana
• July 5, 1805 Three Forks, Montana; Gallatin, Jefferson, Madison Rivers
• August 8, 1805 Dillon, Montana
• August 12, 1805 border between Idaho and Montana
• September 9, 1805 Missoula, Montana
• September 22, 1805 Weippe, Idaho
• October 7, 1805 Orofino, Idaho
• October 16, 1805 conjunction of the Snake and Columbia Rivers
• November 24, 1805 Astoria, Oregon

Each card represents a date when the expedition reached or departed from a specific location. Using the names of towns and rivers shown on contemporary maps, students should work alone or in pairs to determine the location of the expedition on the date(s) on their card(s). Once the students have confirmed each location, they should put the dates on the map chronologically showing the progress of the expedition.

Note: An excellent array of maps is available on the EDSITEment-reviewed National Geographic Xpeditions. Students can obtain state maps with most of the locations using the site's Atlas feature. Many locations can be found by searching within the Mapmaker 1-Page Maps.

When all of the dates and locations have been plotted on the map, students should work alone or in their groups to determine how many miles were traveled (approximately) in each segment of the journey and how many days it took to travel that far. Within each segment, about how many miles were covered each day, on average?

Discuss issues that arise from tracking the expedition over time. For example, why did the expedition stop from October 1804 to April 1805? Where did the expedition make swift progress? Slow progress? At this point, interested classes might enjoy seeing The Route of the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific, copied from William Clark's original, available on the EDSITEment resource Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. On this map, the outbound route is shown in red, and the return route is in blue.

Activity 3. What Did Jefferson Say, Anyway?

As a class, review President Jefferson's charge to Meriwether Lewis as to the goals of the expedition. Jefferson's orders may be accessed on the EDSITEment-reviewed website American Memory by searching for the exact phrase "Thomas Jefferson to Congress, January 18, 1803" (the text is found on page 841 of the transcription, starting with the words "The commerce which may be carried on…" and ending with "…insects.")

In what kinds of discoveries was Jefferson interested? After the students have read from the diaries, they should be able to determine if the expedition members did a good job of "acquainting" themselves with the items Jefferson listed.

Activity 4. Scientists Study the Corps' Diaries

Historians rely on primary source material to learn about the past. In this activity, students will act as scientists gleaning information from primary sources—the journals of members of the expedition. Journal entries are available through the EDSITEment resource Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. What did the expedition members discover? Students will gain an appreciation of not only the knowledge acquired during the famous journey but also the difficulties endured.

Assign small groups specific aspects of the expedition and related diary entries to explore. Groups could include "specialists" in zoology (animals), botany (plants), meteorology (weather), Native American cultures, and geology/geography. Each group is given or searches online for the diary entries related to the assigned "specialty." Pertinent information from the entries will be noted on the large outline map, or on the chart provided in PDF format for each group's specialty.

(Note: The original spelling of the diarists has been maintained, and the diaries were written before spelling had been standardized. However, most of the selected entries are very short, and should not cause too many comprehension problems. You may wish to form student groups with a range of reading levels within each group, so that students can help each other understand the diary entries.)

Click here to download a list of the diary entries by category (In PDF format. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader®).

If possible, keep wildflower, insect, trees, animal and other identification handbooks on hand for students to use as they discover what the expedition members saw along the route.

Activity 5. Mapping the Discoveries of the Corps

As a culminating activity, have the student groups work together to complete the large outline map. Each group should place on the map, in approximate respective locations, markers representing discoveries made by the expedition or any events the students deem important. Postings should include the date. Proceed chronologically. The dates previously attached to the classroom map will serve as guideposts for determining the location of the Corps on a particular date.

Once all the discoveries are posted, discuss the journey as a whole. Judging from the diary entries the class studied, did the expedition members take seriously President Jefferson's charge? How difficult was the journey?

If desired, for assessment purposes, ask students to trace on a blank outline map of the continental U.S. the approximate journey of the Corps. On the back, they should list some of the hazards faced by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and some of the discoveries made on the journey.

• Students with a special interest in maps will enjoy comparing a variety of maps relating to the Corps of Discovery, including those made by expedition members. Such maps are available through the following EDSITEment-reviewed sources:
  • American Memory
    • Search Map Collections by title:
      • "A map of Lewis and Clark's track, across the western portion of North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean : by order of the executive of the United States in 1804, 5 & 6"
      • "Lewis and Clark map, with annotations in brown ink by Meriwether Lewis, tracing showing the Mississippi, the Missouri for a short distance above Kansas, Lakes Michigan, Superior, and Winnipeg, and the country onwards to the Pacific."
  • Exploring the West from Monticello
    • A facsimile of William Clark's 1810 Map of part of the Continent of North America
      • History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed during the years 1804-5-6, by Paul Allen, 1814
      • Other Maps Created Before 1803
  • Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
    • A variety of maps is available in the Map Archive
• Lesson 9 from the EDSITEment resource Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery on equipping the expedition was designed for grades 5-8, but could be adapted for lower grades. In this exercise, students estimate the number and types of supplies that would be needed for a trans-continental expedition and then compare them to the actual supply list for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. To simplify the lesson for younger audiences, students could create a hypothetical list of supplies without regard to quantity, eliminating some of the math.
  • Students who participate should also be interested in seeing some archival documents from the EDSITEment resource Teachers' Resources, National Archives and Records Administration related to supplying the expedition:
    • List of Indian presents purchased by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for the expedition to the West
    • List of purchases made by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for the expedition to the West
    • Receipt for tobacco purchased by Meriwether Lewis for the expedition to the West
    • Receipt for wine and kegs purchased by Meriwether Lewis for the expedition to the West
• Students can have the opportunity to "lead" the Lewis and Clark Expedition by participating in the simulation "Into the Unknown," another lesson in the Classroom Resources section of the EDSITEment resource Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.
• The role of Sacajawea on the expedition and her subsequent impact on modern society is a fruitful subject for investigation. Students can start by looking at the new Sacajawea coin. Some sources of information on Sacajawea accessible through EDSITEment resources include:
  • Sacajawea from RootsWeb, a link from Ipl2
  • Sacagawea from Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
  • Sacajawea from New Perspectives on the West
• In addition, a number of books for younger readers about Sacajawea are listed in Other Resources below.
  • The EDSITEment-reviewed Native Web is a great starting point for students who want to learn about the Native American cultures of the Mandans, Shoshoni and other tribes along the route of Lewis and Clark. Search by tribal name. The EDSITEment resource Internet Public Library's collection "Native American Authors" provides links to information about many tribes, accessible through an alphabetical directory listed by tribe name.
  • Students can read more of the expedition entries. The complete Journals of Lewis and Clark are available online at American Studies at the University of Virginia, a link from the EDSITEment resource History Matters.
  • Students might be interested in discovering what happened after the expedition ended. Where are the original documents? When were the results of the expedition published? What became of Lewis and Clark after the expedition? Students might be surprised to learn of Lewis's tragic end and the debate over his demise.

Selected EDSITEment Websites

• American Memory Project Library of Congress
• The American President
• Center for the Liberal Arts
• Exploring the West from Monticello
• History Matters
• Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
• National Geographic Society Xpeditions
• Mapmaker 1-Page Maps
• Native Web
• New Perspectives on the West

Other Resources:

Websites

• America's Library

Recommended readings from American Memory

• Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase—Blumberg, Rhoda. What's the Deal? Jefferson, Napolean, and the Louisiana Purchase. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1998.
• Westward Expansion—Silverman, Jerry. Singing Our Way West: Songs and Stories from America's Westward Expansion. Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press, 1998.
• Maps
  • Bacon, Josephine. The Doubleday Atlas of the United States of America. N.Y.: Doubleday, 1990.
  • Chambers, Catherine. All About Maps. New York: Franklin Watts, 1998.
  • Clouse, Nancy L.Puzzle Maps USA. N.Y.: Henry Hold and Co., 1990.
  • Glickman, Jane. Cool Geography. N.Y.: Price Stern Sloan, 1998.
  • Knowlton, Jack. Maps & Globes. N.Y.: HarperCollins, 1985.

Recommended readings from Native Web

• Bruchac, Joseph. Sacajawea: The Story of Bird Woman and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Hardcover, 128 pages (February 28, 2000) Silver Whistle; ISBN: 0152022341. Reading level: Young Adult
• Roop, Coonie and Roop, Peter Geiger. Girl of the Shining Mountains: Sacagawea's Story. Hardcover, 144 pages (October 1999) Hyperion Press; ISBN: 0786804920. Reading level: Ages 9-12

Recommended readings from Women of the West Museum

• Rowland, Della. The Story of Sacajawea. New York: Dell Publishing, 1989. Illus. by Richard Leonard. Reading level: Grades 3-5