Mission statement of Lewis and Clark expedition

The British in Canada and the Spanish who still occupy Texas and southwest China have never given up Louisiana. They incited the local Indians to fight against the American immigrants who entered this area. President Jefferson realized that the only way to control this land was by force, so he asked the American army for help. 1804, Jefferson approved william clark, the second lieutenant of the artillery regiment, and meriwether lewis, his private secretary and former head of the First Infantry Regiment, to lead a 45-member expedition, including translators who knew Spanish and Indian, and allowed Lewis and Clark to use military means when necessary. Before the action, Jefferson felt the danger from Britain, France and Spain. He warned Lewis and Clark: "We must keep in touch with us by all means." In this way, this self-proclaimed "expedition" team embarked on an epic adventure along the Missouri River with a keel boat and two double-masted gondolas.

Your task is to explore the Missouri River and its main tributaries, such as its channel and the waterway leading to the Pacific Ocean ... This waterway can be used as a direct and practical transportation channel for transcontinental commercial purposes.

Thomas Jefferson