Lewis and Clark for Kids | Learn about the Louis and Clark expedition and the Louisiana Purchase

Have you ever heard of the Lewis and Clark Expedition? What about Sacagawea? In this video, you and your kids will learn all about this incredible journey. Before we talk about the expedition, it's important to understand why it happened in the first place. And that reason all lies in the Louisiana Purchase.

President Thomas Jefferson bought about 828,000 square miles of land from the French, which included six states and parts of nine others. This purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States! The colonists had never explored these areas before, and President Jefferson also wanted to know information about natural resources, plants, animals, geology, weather, and climate in the area. In addition, he wanted to establish trade and sovereignty over the Native American tribes along the Missouri River.

Once he got approval, Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to head the journey, since both were seasoned frontiersmen. He called the group the Corps of Discovery, and about 40 other men joined the group as well, offering various skills that would be necessary to accomplish their goals. The journey started on May 21, 1804, along the Missouri River. They started off traveling by boat and eventually made it to the edge of the Great Plains.

Initially, there was a little tension when the Corps met the Lakota tribe, but the two groups remained peaceful due largely to the tribe's chief, Chief Black Buffalo. In April of 1805, Sacagawea and her husband joined the group. Sacagawea became a vital part of the group because of her interpretation and diplomacy skills, as well as her mere presence, which was a sign the Corps came in peace.

What happened when everyone finally returned to St. Louis? The journey yielded a lot of new information that was very useful, including facts about natural resources, plant and animal species, and land size. Lewis became governor of the Louisiana Territory, and Clark became governor of the Missouri Territory. Sadly, Sacagawea passed away of illness in 1812, not long after the end of the expedition.

We hope you and your student(s) enjoyed learning about these two famous explorers! If you want even more information, head over to our website and download one of our many free lesson plans, full of activities, worksheets, and more!

https://learnbright.org/lesson....s/social-studies/lew
https://learnbright.org/lesson....s/language-arts/saca
https://learnbright.org/lesson....s/social-studies/lou
https://learnbright.org/lesson....s/social-studies/wes

What you will learn in Lewis and Clark for Kids:
0:00 Introduction to Lewis and Clark
0:43 The significance of the Louisiana Purchase
1:46 States included in the Louisiana Purchase
2:23 Why Jefferson wanted to explore these new areas
3:38 Corps of Discovery
4:44 Beginning of the expedition
5:54 Sacagawea and husband (Touissaint Charbonneau) join the Corps
6:23 Trail of the expedition
7:42 Impact of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
8:43 Review of the facts

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