Why did Lewis and Clark take the route they took?

President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and map the newly acquired territory, find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and establish an American presence in this area before European powers attempted to…

Why do you think Lewis and Clark wanted Sacagawea to go with them?

Lewis and Clark met Charbonneau and quickly hired him to serve as an interpreter on their expedition. Although she was pregnant with her first child, Sacagawea was chosen to accompany them on their mission. Lewis and Clark believed that her knowledge of the Shoshone language would help them later on their journey.

Why was Sacagawea important to the Lewis and Clark expedition?

Simply because she was a woman, Sacagawea helped the Corps. Among the tribes the explorers encountered, her presence dispelled the notion that the group was a war party. William Clark explained that "Shabono's Wife [Charbonneau] … conciliates all the Indians as to our friendly intentions. A woman with a party of men is a sign of peace."

Who was the Shoshone woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark?

Statue of Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition. Sacagawea, sometimes called Sakajawea or Sakagawea (ca. 1788 – December 20, 1812), was a Shoshone Indian woman who arrived with her husband Toussaint Charbonneau on the Pacific Expedition.

How old was Sacagawea Charbonneau when she married Lewis and Clark?

Yet Sacagawea is the third most famous member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In the fall of 1804, Sacagawea was about seventeen years old, the pregnant second wife of French Canadian trader Toussaint Charbonneau, and living in Metaharta, the Middle Hidatsa village on the Knife River in western North Dakota.

What did Sacagawea do for the Shoshone Indians?

William Clark explained that "Shabono's Wife [Charbonneau] … conciliates all the Indians as to our friendly intentions. A woman with a party of men is a token of peace." When the corps reached Idaho, Sacagaweas displayed knowledge of the landscape and The Shoshone language itself is valuable.