Meriwether Lewis, born in 1774, was an American explorer, recognized for having led, along with William Clark, the Expedition of Lewis and Clark. Their mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade with, and sovereignity over the natives, collect scientific information, and expand the US territories to the Pacific Ocean. In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana. He died in 1809.
William Clark, born in Virginia in 1770, was an American explorer who, along with Meriwether Lewis, helped lead the Lewis and Clark expedition. His main tasks were to make maps, supplies management, and collect information of indigenous plants and animals. He was a slaveholder planter, and a former US Army soldier. After the expedition, he served as Governor of Missouri. He died in 1838.
Sacajawea was a native woman who helped in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She traveled with the expedition thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, helping to establish cultural contacts with the natives and indicating the paths to follow to reach the Pacific Ocean.
York was an African-American explorer best known for his participation with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was a slave, owned by William Clark, but participated as a full member of the expedition. Like many other expedition members, his ultimate fate is unclear. There is evidence that after the expedition's return, Clark had difficulty compelling York to resume his former status, and York may have later escaped or been freed.
