In 1803 the United States bought a huge piece of land in the West from France. It was called the Louisiana Purchase, and it made the country about twice as big. But what was out there?
Key idea
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to explore the West. Sacagawea, a young Shoshone woman, helped them. They reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805.
Why it works
President Thomas Jefferson asked Lewis and Clark to find a way west by river, draw maps, and learn about the plants, animals and peoples of the land. Their group, the Corps of Discovery, paddled boats up the Missouri River and crossed the Rocky Mountains. Sacagawea spoke Shoshone. When they met her people, her brother was a Shoshone chief, and the Shoshone traded them the horses they needed to cross the mountains. In 1806 the explorers came home.
Common mistake
Some children think Lewis and Clark found empty land. They met many Native nations along the way. Sacagawea and other Native people helped them find routes, food and horses.
For the grown-up: Sacagawea made the trip while caring for her baby son, Jean Baptiste. The explorers kept journals, so we can still read what they saw. The trip followed Washington's time by only a few years.