Lewis and Clark Expedition Trivia Quiz Questions And Answers
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was also known as the what?
A: Corps of Discovery Expedition.
It was the first American expedition to cross what?
A: What is now the western portion of the United States.
When did the expedition begin?
A: May 1804.
Where did the expedition start?
A: Near St. Louis on the Mississippi River.
Who commissioned the expedition?
A: President Thomas Jefferson shortly after the
Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
The expedition consisted of a select group of what?
A: U.S. Army volunteers.
Whose command were they under?
A: Captain Meriwether Lewis.
What was the name of Merewether's close friend?
A: Second Lieutenant William Clark.
How long did the expedition last?
A: From May 1804 to September 1806.
What was the objective of the expedition?
A: It was to explore and map the newly acquired territory, and establish an
American presence before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it.
The campaign's secondary objectives were what?
A: To study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and establish trade
with local Indian tribes.
References to Lewis and Clark "scarcely appeared" in
history books even during the what?
A: The United States Centennial in 1876.
Lewis and Clark began to gain new attention around when?
A: The start of the 20th century.
The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in St. Louis,
showcased Lewis and Clark as what?
A: American pioneers.
The 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, in
Portland, Oregon, also did what?
A: Showcased Lewis and Clark as American pioneers.
A complete and reliable set of what was finally compiled by
Gary E. Moulton in 2004?
A: The expedition's journals.
In the 2000s, what event further elevated popular interest
in Lewis and Clark?
A: The bicentennial of the expedition.
What did Thomas Jefferson want to discover ?
A: A practical route through the Northwest to the Pacific coast.
Two years into his presidency, Jefferson asked Congress to
do what?
A: Fund an expedition through the Louisiana Purchase to the
Pacific Ocean.
Lewis demonstrated remarkable skills and potential as a
what?
A: Frontiersman.
In 1803, what did Jefferson have Lewis do?
A: Study medicinal cures under Benjamin Rush, a physician and humanitarian.
Jefferson also arranged for Lewis to be further educated by
Andrew Ellicott in the use of what?
A: The use of the sextant and other navigational instruments.
Lewis was not ignorant of
science and had demonstrated to
Jefferson a marked capacity to do what?
A: To learn, especially with Jefferson as his teacher.
At Monticello, Jefferson had the largest library in the
world on what subject?
A: The geography of the North American continent.
Lewis spent time in the library doing what?
A: Consulting maps and books and conferring with Jefferson.
When did Lewis and Clark meet near Louisville,
Kentucky?
A: In October 1803 at the Falls of the
Ohio before departing later in the month.
The U.S. mint prepared special
silver medals called what?
A: Indian Peace Medals.
The soldiers were to distribute the medals to whom?
A: To the Indians they met.
These symbolized what?
A: U.S. sovereignty over the indigenous inhabitants.
The expedition also prepared "what" to display their
military firepower?
A: Advanced weapons.
One of the weapons was a.46 caliber repeating rifle with a
20-round tubular magazine that was powerful enough to do what?
A: Kill a deer.
The expedition was prepared with sufficient black powder
and lead for their what?
A: Flintlock firearms.