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Resources
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The purpose of this section is to give the student access to all primary and secondary resources for Unit 2.1: Newcomers Explore the Region - 1742 to 1827.
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Historical Document
"On May 14, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their small "corps of discovery" set forth up the Missouri River to explore the vast Louisiana Territory. Although an expedition to explore the West and establish a trade route to the Pacific had long been a dream of Thomas Jefferson, purchase of the territory from France in 1803 made the expedition to establish the limits of the new American empire a necessity. President Jefferson was fully aware that he was sending the men to face unknown dangers. Thus, before the expedition departed, he penned a letter of international credit to be used in the event that the party had to return by a different route, possibly by sea and possibly at the whim of a foreign government" (Montana Historical Society).
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