THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF LANGUAGE
ON THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION
THEME
The physical problems faced by the Corps of Discovery often overshadow
the equally difficult communication problems they encountered as
they moved farther and farther west. These problems were of three
kinds: (1) communicating with western Indian tribes who spoke many
different languages (2) recording observations and scientific information
in journals under less than favorable conditions, and (3) communicating
with President Jefferson in Washington. The lesson plan and activities
in this unit relate to one or another of those problems.
GOALS
- To emphasize the important part played by language, both spoken
and written, in the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
- To expose students to the astonishing variety and complexity
of American Indian languages.
- To demonstrate ways in which the English language has changed
over two millennia.
- To introduce students to the esoteric world of cryptology.
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- Comprehend the enormity of the communication challenges that
faced the Corps of Discovery.
- Discuss two ways in which the English language in America has
changed since the time of Lewis and Clark.
- Define or identify: cryptology, enigma machine, linguistics,
Code Talkers
IMPLEMENTATION
Introduction
Communication problems faced by Lewis and Clark and the Corps of
Discovery are often overshadowed by the sheer physical aspects of
the expedition. Rowing boats against the current, encountering grizzly
bears, portaging around waterfalls, and crossing rugged mountain
ranges make for more exciting stories than how the Corps members
communicated.
Nevertheless, some of the most important duties assigned to the
Corps involved the use of language in one way or another. One of
these duties was to tell the Indian tribes who lived in the Louisiana
Territory that the United States now claimed their homelands. The
captains were also to discuss trading possibilities with them, and
discourage them from trading with the British and French. In the
Pacific Northwest, beyond the boundaries of the United States, the
captains were instructed to gather information from natives whose
languages were completely unknown to them.
Another important duty assigned to the captains was to keep detailed
records of what they observed. Jefferson's "need-to-know list"
was exhaustive. He wanted information on geography, flora, fauna,
weather, minerals, latitude and longitude, customs and languages
of western Indian tribes, and much more. (For a copy of Jefferson's
instructions to Lewis, click on http://www.mt.net/~rojomo/landc.htm?1.)
The captains also encouraged crew members to keep journals. Four
of the men's journals have survived, those of Charles Floyd, Patrick
Gass, John Ordway, and Joseph Whitehouse. There may have been other
journals that did not survive or have not been discovered. Of course,
some members of the Corps of Discovery may not have been able to
read or write.
A third duty was to keep Jefferson informed about the progress of
the expedition as much as possible. Fearing that messages might
be intercepted by those opposed to the expedition, Jefferson taught
Lewis how to encode them. If Jefferson's code was ever used by Lewis,
no evidence of it has survived.
Apparently, Jefferson heard from the captains only once after they
left St. Louis until they returned more than two years later. After
spending the winter with the Mandan Indians (near present day Bismarck,
North Dakota), several of the boatmen sailed the keelboat back to
St. Louis as previously planned. On board were letters and maps
from the captains as well as several boxes of flora and fauna specimens
and Indian artifacts. On April 3. 1805, Clark wrote in his journal,
"we are all day engaged packing up Sundery articles to be sent
to the President of the U.S." He then lists the contents of
the nine boxes placed on board. Some of these items still exist
today in museums and private collections. For pictures and descriptions
of artifacts sent to Jefferson click on http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/Lewis_and_Clark/robe.html.)
Before Lewis left Washington, he and Jefferson discussed the possibility
of sending crew members back east at intervals to report on the
expedition's progress. As the Corps made its way west, however,
it became apparent that such a plan was unfeasible. No member of
the tight-knit Corps of Discovery could be spared to carry messages.
They were a small group on their own in a vast landscape, and they
had to stick together.
CONCLUSION/FOLLOW-UP
Each of these issues about the role of language in the Lewis and
Clark Expedition is taken up in more detail in three different activities:
Activity M-1: AMERICAN
INDIAN LANGUAGES
One of the most perplexing challenges Lewis and Clark faced on the
expedition was communicating with American Indian tribes who spoke
many different languages. Over three-hundred languages were spoken
by the inhabitants of North America when Europeans discovered the
New World. About half of those languages are no longer spoken. In
this activity, students conduct research on American Indian languages
and the current efforts to preserve those still being spoken.
Activity M-2: "THE KING'S
ENGLISH" OF JEFFERSON, LEWIS, AND CLARK
In this activity a book by Thomas Jefferson, and the journals of
Lewis and Clark provide the basis for studying changes in the English
language over two centuries.
Activity M-3: PRESIDENT JEFFERSON'S
SECRET CODE
Secret codes have a long history. At the time of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition, secret codes were often used for government business.
President Jefferson taught Captain Lewis how to use a secret code
for sending messages. In this activity, students learn to code and
decode messages using the same code Jefferson and Lewis used.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH RELEVANT TO THIS UNIT
- Writing equipment used by Jefferson, Lewis, and Clark
The quill pen dipped in ink was the principal writing instrument
of the day. Lewis and Clark took lap desks with them to hold their
writing materials and to provide a flat writing space. Jefferson
had so much writing to do, he invented a mechanical "duplicating
machine" to copy his documents.
- Location and condition of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
journals
Many of the original journals and field notes from the expedition
still exist. Some of them are owned by the American Philosophical
Society of Philadelphia. Clark's field notes are at Yale University,
etc.
- The work of Noah Webster who created the first American English
dictionary published in 1806.
Before he compiled the dictionary, Webster published a standardized
spelling book that was widely used in early American schools.
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