Meriwether lewis biography explorers
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Meriwether Lewis
When Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, he understood that very few Americans, including himself, had an idea about what lay within the nation he had just spent fifteen million dollars to purchase. To rectify this issue, Jefferson formed the Corps of upptäckt to explore the territory and potentially beyond, choosing a man to lead it who Jefferson believed held “a complete science in botany, natural history, mineralogy & astronomy, joined the firmness of constitution & character, prudence, habits adapted to the woods and a familiarity with the Indian manners and character, requisite for this undertaking.” To Jefferson, that man was his very own aide and US Army Captain Meriwether Lewis.
Like Jefferson han själv , Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1774, the son of William Lewis, a lieutenant in the Continental Army. As a member of Virginian high society, the Lewis family could clai
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Meriwether Lewis
(1774-1809)
Who Was Meriwether Lewis?
Born in 1774 in Virginia, Meriwether Lewis was asked by President Thomas Jefferson in 1801 to act as his private secretary. Jefferson soon made Lewis another offer — to lead an expedition into the lands west of the Mississippi, which he did after enlisting William Clark. With the help of Sacagawea, the team successfully reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805. Their journey was famously known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Early Life
Lewis was born on August 18, 1774, near Ivy, Virginia. His parents, Lt. William Lewis of Locust Hill and Lucy Meriwether, were of Welsh and English ancestry, respectively. After Lewis' father died from pneumonia, his mother and stepfather, Captain John Marks, moved him and his siblings to Georgia in what is now Oglethorpe County.
Lewis spent his childhood in Georgia building his hunting skills and spending most of his time outdoors. However, once he reached his early teens, he wo
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Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774-October 11, 1809) was a soldier, an explorer, and a personal secretary to Thomas Jefferson.
When the contentious election of 1800 had been decided and Thomas Jefferson prepared to assume the presidency, he knew whom he wanted as his private secretary. Within days of the final balloting in February 1801, Jefferson posted a letter to General James Wilkinson, commander of the U.S. Army, and under the same cover one to "Lieut. Meriwether Lewis, not knowing where he may be." Jefferson gave Wilkinson specific reasons for seeking the young Lewis. He referenced Lewis's knowledge of the frontier and the military and he mentioned "a personal acquaintance with [Lewis], arising from his being of my neighborhood."[1]
Indeed, Meriwether Lewis and the extensive Lewis and Meriwether families were from Jefferson's "neighborhood" in the central Piedmont region of Virginia. Meriwether Lewis was born on his father's farm, Locust Hill, located approximately 10 mil