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Article: Jefferson and exploration. (Current and Coming).(Thomas Jefferson)
- Article from:
- The Magazine Antiques
- Article date:
- March 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Although the seeds were sewn earlier, on January 16, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent a confidential letter to Congress requesting $2,500 to underwrite the exploration and charting of the vast and largely unknown lands west of the Missouri River. Jefferson had heard rumors that the British and the French were looking for a navigable waterway leading to the Pacific Ocean in order to establish their supremacy in trade across North America.
To lead what was named the Corps of Volunteers for North West Discovery, Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis, his secretary and the man who had prepared the budget for Congress. Lewis in turn enlisted his friend William Clark ...