Jefferson and Clark?

Jefferson and Clark?

            Chapter 7 deals with the journey of Lewis and Clark across the North American continent.  This originally was to be a journey through The United States, Spanish and French territory.  However, on the day that Jefferson’s secretary, Meriwether Lewis, was set to leave, Napoleon offered to sell the Louisiana Territory.  This journey would now mean more than it had before. 

            Before the journey began, Lewis was sent to many different people in order to learn things that would be important for his trip.  Before reading this book I always though that the trip by Lewis and Clark was in just to find a route to the Pacific Ocean and to draw a map of the new land.  This chapter has opened my eyes to see that may have been a secondary motive for Jefferson sending Lewis on this trip. 

            Lewis was taught not only about surveying, but also medicine, fossils, and most importantly Botany.  Lewis was taught how to collect, dry, mount and label specimens, and how best to preserve trees.  Being that Lewis was working as Jefferson’s secretary in the White House, this leads me to believe that Lewis knew how much Jefferson loved faming, and knew that this was of upmost importance to Jefferson. 

            Wulf points out that Jefferson was very excited about sending Lewis out. I personally think that if Jefferson had not been President at the time of the expedition, he would have gone. Instead of reading about Lewis and Clark in history books, maybe we would be reading about Jefferson and Clark.