1/18 【美國歷史上的今天】這個遠征為美國的西進運動打下了基礎

每天一篇《美國歷史上的今天》，提煉和總結歷史在今天發生的重要事件：誰，在哪裡，什麼時候，做了什麼，這件事為什麼重要、以及在寫關於什麼主題的論文的時候可以作為潛在論據引用。每天半分鐘，輕鬆積累史實，為AP歷史拿5分打下堅實基礎！

When: Jan 18, 1803

What: Determined to begin the exploration of the vast mysterious regions of the Far West, President Thomas Jefferson requested funding from Congress to finance the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Why significant: Just a week earlier, the Congress approved funding for the Louisiana Purchase, as Napoleon abandoned plans to establish a French foothold on America』s southern flank and sold the land to the U.S. to subsidize his conquest of Europe. This brought much of the territory Jefferson was proposing to explore under American control.

Though Jefferson did not disclose his true intentions to Congress, he actually planned the reconnaissance mission to far exceed the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase to determine how far west the U.S. might extend commerce in the North American fur trade and to assess the viability of future territorial expansion into the west. Jefferson was excited about what scientific discovery and adventure the expedition might yield.

The team, which Jefferson called the Corps of Discovery, was comprised by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and 50 others. They first surveyed the territory that comprised the Louisiana Purchase, a vast expanse that reached as far north as present-day North Dakota, south to the Gulf of Mexico and stopped at the eastern border of Spanish territory in present-day Texas. They then crossed the Rockies and navigated river routes to the Pacific coast of present-day Oregon. Upon their return, the team』s reports of the exotic and awe-inspiring new lands they had encountered sparked a new wave of westward expansion.

Viewing westward expansion as a way for the U.S. to maintain its agrarian values and to ward off the same political perils that plagued an increasingly overcrowded Europe, Jefferson sought to claim more territory for the U.S., eliminate foreign competition and convert the Indian nations to Christianity.

Tags: President Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark expedition, Louisiana Purchase, westward expansion

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