Meriwether lewis biography explorers
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Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774-October 11, 1809) was a soldier, an explorer, and a personal secretary to Thomas Jefferson.
When the contentious election of 1800 had been decided and Thomas Jefferson prepared to assume the presidency, he knew whom he wanted as his private secretary. Within days of the final balloting in February 1801, Jefferson posted a letter to General James Wilkinson, commander of the U.S. Army, and under the same cover one to "Lieut. Meriwether Lewis, not knowing where he may be." Jefferson gave Wilkinson specific reasons for seeking the young Lewis. He referenced Lewis's knowledge of the frontier and the military and he mentioned "a personal acquaintance with [Lewis], arising from his being of my neighborhood."[1]
Indeed, Meriwether Lewis and the extensive Lewis and Meriwether families were from Jefferson's "neighborhood" in the central Piedmont region of Virginia. Meriwether Lewis was born on his father's farm, Locust Hill, located approximately 10 mil
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Meriwether Lewis
When Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, he understood that very few Americans, including himself, had an idea about what lay within the nation he had just spent fifteen million dollars to purchase. To rectify this issue, Jefferson formed the Corps of upptäckt to explore the territory and potentially beyond, choosing a man to lead it who Jefferson believed held “a complete science in botany, natural history, mineralogy & astronomy, joined the firmness of constitution & character, prudence, habits adapted to the woods and a familiarity with the Indian manners and character, requisite for this undertaking.” To Jefferson, that man was his very own aide and US Army Captain Meriwether Lewis.
Like Jefferson han själv , Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1774, the son of William Lewis, a lieutenant in the Continental Army. As a member of Virginian high society, the Lewis family could clai
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Diplomat, explorer, scientist, governor, soldier, Virginia gentleman, student, secretary to the president: during his 36 years, Meriwether Lewis bore each of these titles. Born into a prominent Virginia family, Lewis faced the world with opportunity and advantage. By the time of his death in late 1809, he struggled with “melancholy,” financial troubles and alcohol. Complex and often contradictory, the incarnations of Meriwether Lewis provide insight into the man behind the titles.
Virginia gentleman: Born in 1774, in Albemarle County, Virginia, Meriwether Lewis was the first child of Lucy Meriwether and William Lewis. After William’s death in 1781, Lucy remarried and moved the family to Georgia. As a young teenager, Lewis returned by himself to Virginia to manage his family’s estate. Upon the death of his stepfather, Lewis, not yet out of his teens, became the head of a household that included his mother and four siblings.
Soldier: Enlisting in 1794, Meriwether Lewis served in Ken