Lewis and Clark were very successful people, however their greatest success was only achievable with the help of the Native Americans. April 1803 President Thomas Jefferson purchases uncharted territory from France. Jefferson always liked the idea of ​​expansion into the West, so when he had the chance he took it. Jefferson pushed for approval to direct an exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, and in 1803 it was approved. Jefferson had appointed Meriwether Lewis as leader and William Clark as his associate. It wasn't until their first winter while exploring that the sacajawea came onto the scene. However, Jefferson did not publicly announce that the United States had purchased eight hundred and sixty-eight thousand square miles of land for fifteen million dollars until July. Lewis and Clark's journey began near St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1804. Most days of exploration had difficult conditions or at least one challenging obstacle to circumvent. For example, during the exploration, the one hundred and forty-six days they spent in North Dakota, they experienced freezing temperatures below zero. This vast amount of unexplored land would become thirteen of the states we know today. This expedition would discover one hundred and twenty-two new animals and one hundred and seventy-eight plants, the expedition lasting eight hundred and sixty-three days over a length of seven thousand six hundred and eighty-nine miles and costing thirty-eight thousand seven hundred and seventy-two dollars and twenty-five cents. Lewis and Clark's expedition would not have been as successful without the help of George Drouillard, Sacajawea, and the Native American tribes they encountered. These Native Americans helped provide shelter, food, knowledge, and edible... middle of paper... artifacts and the best places to hunt. Who better to ask than the Native Americans, after all they were the natives of the land. One of the many examples of Native Americans helping Lewis and Clark was that they provided them with horses that they would use to travel. The Tillmahaks had helped Lewis and Clark recover blubber from a whale that had washed up on the beach. In conclusion, Lewis and Clark were very successful, however their greatest success was only achievable with the help of the Native Americans. If it were not for George Drouillard, Sacajawea and the Native American tribes, the expedition would not have been rational. Ultimately it was the tribes, including George Drouillard and Sacajawea, who helped Lewis and Clark embark to the uncharted land. Jefferson's dream had come true and the discoveries made will last forever.