- ›› Coverage Organizations : Nez Perce
The Lewis and Clark expedition is rightly considered one of the great American stories. In May of 1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off by keelboat up the Missouri River with thirty-one men, the “Corps of Discovery,” on an expedition authorized by Congress at the request of Thomas Jefferson. The expedition’s grip on the popular imagination is understandable. It features adventures and trials, close calls and improbable coincidences, exotic encounters and fascinating personalities.
Glossary Term – Person
Chief Joseph (ca. 1840–1904) was the Nez Perce leader who in 1877 attempted to lead his people on a three-month march from their homes in the Wallowa Valley in Oregon to Canada pursued by the US Army. He eventually surrendered upon being promised that the Nez Perce could return to Idaho. The federal government broke its promise, however, and the Nez Perce were removed to Indian Territory in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Key Groups: Adena (500 BC), Hopewell (100 BC)
Religion and Culture: Known as mound builders because they buried the dead in large earth mounds, these groups lived in small farming villages, which were likely run by leaders of clans (relatives). The villages grew and became increasingly complex, building trade networks and creating elaborate artwork using materials from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. Adena culture was...