Lewis and Clark

January 7th :

the Lewis and Clark expedition

text page 74

When the Louisiana Territory was purchased (= bought) from France in 1803, President Jefferson decided to send a group of explorers there to achieve a certain number of goals :

They were to discover and bring back notes on nature (plants and animals, climate and geography).

He wanted them to find a northwest passage to the coast via a water route for trade.

They were asked to bring back maps of this unchartered territory.

January 9th:

Oral comprehension : Who were they?

The Lewis and Clark expedition was the result of many dreams, hopes and ambitions. It was a large enterprise. Approximately 50 people participated, led by Lewis and Clark. Among them, were some of the best scientific minds of the day, some people of European and Native descent, one Afro-American and eventually one Native American woman and her infant son.

Lewis was 29 years old and Clark was 33.  They were both single and both army veterans. They were skilled hunters too., They were also brave, resourceful, smart and funny.

Lewis had a more formal education as Jefferson's personal secretary. He was a doctor and studied the medicinal quality of plants. Clark was the map-maker, the cartographer.  He was also the better boatman and the more consistent journalist. He was more level-headed and had a longer happier life.

Written comprehension page 75: Sacagawea

 January 14th:

Dans le recap :

Sacagewea was sold to Toussaint Charbonnaud.

She was hired for the expedition.

Structures passives où le sujet subit l'action : BE conjugué + participe passé du verbe.

Oral comprehension about the Lewis and Clark expedition :

Part 1 : the Louisiana Purchase

1800 : Jefferson was elected president

1803 : The US purchased the Louisiana territory for 15 million dollars.

It was 828 000 square miles stretching from the Mississippi Valley to the Rocky Mountains.

Part 2 : the expedition itself

May 1804 : the expedition departed from St Louis in Missouri

Itinerary : they left from St Louis and went up across the Continental Divide (ligne de partage des eaux) through the mountains via the Snake and Columbia to reach the Pacific Coast.

mission ?

people involved?

January 16th:

- recap

- mission :

find a water route to the Pacific ocean / bring back maps & notes about nature / make contact with several Indian tribes

- people involved :

* the Corps of Discovery : a group of about 40 soldiers and officers led by Lewis and Clark

* Sacagawea joined the expedition (cf. texte)

Part 3 : a great success

Nov 1805 : the expedition reached the Pacific coast in what is now Oregon

Sept 1806 : the expedition retruned to St Louis

A great success :

Their mission had been accomplished

It opened the way to settlers and American ideals

Written comprehension page 76 : Chief Joseph Speaks

Chief Joseph was the chief of the Nez Perce tribe.

He wanted peace and he promised never to make war with white men and to let them pass through their territory.

This was because of their encounter with Lewis and Clark who were friendly and were only passing through.

Unfortunately, the white men that came later found gold and decided to exploit the land.

This led to the trail of tears as whole populations were relocated :

They had to leave their homeland, walk miles and miles in the cold freezing weather of winter without blankets. They had to leave their dead behind.

A lot of them died of hunger on the way. Some froze to death. Others were shot as they tried to escape.

At first, Chief Joseph had helped the white men and tried to maintain peace by giving them land.  This was not enough. So he went to Washington D.C. to plead for his people, to ask that they be treated like men and not like animals. This did not help either.

 Homework :

Évaluation de prise de parole en continu à préparer :

1) reprendre toutes les notes sur l'expédition Lewis & Clark et sur Sacagawea et faire une carte mentale avec des mots clef qui reprenne tout ce que vous savez.

2) faire de même avec Chief Joseph.

3) s'entraîner à parler à partir de ces cartes

4)vous tirerez un des sujets au sort en classe mercredi 23/01