Primary Document Report #3-specht

Primary Document Report Name: Chris McKay For Dr. Specht’s Early Republic Course Date: 3/1/09 Title of Document: List of Indian Gifts (Part of Lewis and Clark’s Packing List) Source (please be specific) http://media.nara.gov/media/images/19/29/19-2831a.gif National Archives, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General. Brief Explanation of Document (include who originated the source, the possible audience for which the document was generated, the form of the document (report,letter,diary,etc.), date of the document; any other information you believe pertinent to understanding the document. Answer: This primary source consists of a list of Indian gifts that were part of Lewis and Clark’s packing list for the Corps. of Discovery. This list of Indian gifts could be found from the following resource: Jackson, Donald, ed., Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: with Related Documents 1783 - 1854, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, 1978, pages 6974. This list was created by Merriwether Lewis and intended for historical record or bookkeeping purposes. The U.S. government might also wanted an inventory of the items need for the expedition. The website in which I obtained this resource provided a transcript to understand the document. Merriwether Lewis purchased the items before embarking on the expedition. Possible ways in which document might be used in a research paper or in the development of a lesson plan. Answer: This document could be used at the beginning of an unit covering the Lewis and Clark expedition. Students could compile a packing list that they think would be valuable for the expedition. Students could pretend that they are part of the expedition and imagine what gifts they would include for their interactions with the Native Americans. How does this document relate to other documents you have examined or heard about? Answer: I have read Bernard Devoto’s edited version of the Lewis and Clark journals. This document listing the Indian gifts is very similar to the journal entries made by Lewis and Clark. Article Used: Ewers John C. "Plains Indian Reactions to the Lewis and Clark Expedition" Montana: The Magazine of Western History, Vol. 16. No. (Winter, 1966), pp. 2-12*