The United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842), also known as the Wilkes Expedition, was shaped by both commercial and scientific concerns and a desire to expand American influence and interests in the Pacific Northwest. Maritime merchants, sealers, and whalers needed accurate charts of islands and navigational hazards in the Pacific Ocean.
What was the purpose of the Wilkes Expedition?
Aboard were several hundred seamen and scientists under the command of Lt. Charles Wilkes. Authorized by Congress, the U.S. Exploring Expedition (also known as the Ex. Ex. or the Wilkes Expedition) would explore and map the Pacific, Antarctica, and the northwest coast of the United States.
What was the purpose of the Exploring Expedition?
Authorized by Congress, the U.S. Exploring Expedition (also known as the Ex. Ex. or the Wilkes Expedition) would explore and map the Pacific, Antarctica, and the northwest coast of the United States.
What did Charles Wilkes do in 1838?
Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838–1842. His behavior led to two convictions by court-martial, one stemming from the massacre of almost 80 Fijians on Malolo in 1840.
When did Wilkes explore the inland Washington waters?
Blumenthal, Richard W. Charles Wilkes and the Exploration of Inland Washington Waters: Journals from the Expedition of 1841. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co, 2009.
What was the U.S. Exploring Expedition and what were its main goals?
Commerce, not colonies, was what the U.S. was after. Besides establishing a stronger diplomatic presence throughout the Pacific, the Expedition sought to provide much-needed charts to American whalers, sealers, and China traders.
Who led the Wilkes Expedition?
From the area of modern-day Portland, Wilkes sent an overland party of 39 southwards, led by Emmons, but guided by Joseph Meek.
What was the result of the American expedition in 1840?
The expedition was to stay at sea for four years and number among its accomplishments the first defining of the reaches of the Antarctic continent and the first accurate charting of some 280 islands in the Pacific and great stretches of coastline along the shores of South America and the west coast of the US.
Who led the United States Exploring Expedition?
Charles WilkesEstimates are that the collections amassed between April 1838 and June 1842 by the United States Exploring Expedition, under the command of Charles Wilkes, weighed nearly 40 tons.
What did Charles Wilkes conclude about California after his expedition?
Having spent less than two weeks in California, Wilkes did not hold a very high opinion of that area -- except for the great San Francisco Bay as a shipping and commercial entrepot. He concluded that San Francisco and Puget Sound were destined to become "the finest ports in the world."
What did Charles Wilkes discover?
the Ant-arctic continentWilkes died in Washington, D.C. with the rank of Rear Admiral. In August 1909, the United States moved his remains to Arlington National Cemetery. His gravestone says that "he discovered the Ant-arctic continent."
What were two main goals of the Lewis and Clark expedition?
The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) was a federally funded venture to explore the North American West. The expedition's principal objective was to survey the Missouri and Columbia rivers, locating routes that would connect the continental interior to the Pacific Ocean.
What was the purpose of the Lewis and Clark expedition?
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–06) was a U.S. military expedition, led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark, to explore the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest. The expedition was a major chapter in the history of American exploration.
Why did Wilkes came to Fiji?
Wilkes determined before leaving Tonga to make his first anchorage off Ovalau because of its central location in the archipelago, and because of the reported availability of American expatriate, David Whippy, to interpret and assist in relations with the Fijians.
What does naval expedition mean?
(military) An important or long journey, for example a march or a voyage. A trip, especially a long one, made by a person or a group of people for a specific purpose. a naval expedition. a scientific expedition.
Who discovered a river while searching for the Northwest Passage?
John Cabot, a Venetian navigator living in England, became the first European to explore the Northwest Passage in 1497. He sailed from Bristol, England, in May with a small crew of 18 men and made landfall somewhere in the Canadian Maritime islands the following month.
Who charted the coasts of Antarctica the Pacific Northwest of North America and 280 islands in the South Pacific?
William Maury, the Expedition's astronomer. He also charted the Sound, explored the interior, and concluded that controlling Puget Sound was essential for American interests on the Pacific Coast. During its four year journey, the Exploring Expedition made a number of important contributions.
What happened in 1840s in American history?
Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming it for the United States on January 19, 1840. William Henry Harrison wins the 1840 presidential election, defeating incumbent Martin Van Buren. The August 9, 1842, Webster-Ashburton Treaty formally designates the border separating the United States and Canada.
What happened in 1840s in America?
The Decade of the Telegraph, the Mexican War, and the Gold Rush. The California Gold Rush is a highlight of the 1840s, an event that shaped American history. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist.
What was happening in the 1840s in Europe?
Famine spread The food shortages led to riots all across Europe. The continuing food shortages and widespread public discontent were a major factor in causing Europe's Year of Revolutions in France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary in 1848.
What war was in the 1840s?
The Mexican-American WarThe Mexican-American War was between the United States and Mexico. This war was from 1846 to 1848.
Overview
In 1838 Charles Wilkes (1798-1877), a United States Naval officer, set sail on an exploratory mission to the far reaches of the southern seas with six small and barely adequate ships, 82 officers, 342 sailors, and nine scientists and artists.
Background
Although the existence of a southern continent had been proposed by the ancient Greeks, who felt a large southern landmass must exist to balance the land north of the equator, no confirmed sightings of the purported continent had been made.
Impact
The Wilkes expedition was somewhat of a nautical coup for the United States, as it was the first major voyage of exploration undertaken by the young nation.
Why was the Wilkes Expedition important?
Ex." for short, or the "Wilkes Expedition" in honor of its next appointed commanding officer, United States Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes. The expedition was of major importance to the growth of science in the United States , in particular the then-young field of oceanography.
What was the Wilkes Expedition?
The Wilkes Expedition played a major role in the development of 19th-century science, particularly in the growth of the American scientific establishment. Many of the species and other items found by the expedition helped form the basis of collections at the new Smithsonian Institution.
How many volumes of the Expedition Report did Wilkes write?
Twenty-eight volumes were planned, but only nineteen were published. Of these, Wilkes wrote the multi-volume Narrative of the United States exploring expedition, during 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, Hydrography, and Meteorology .
What was the United States' exploration?
United States Exploring Expedition. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jump to navigation Jump to search. An American exploring and surveying expedition, 1838 to 1842. Vincennes at Disappointment Bay, Antarctica, early 1840. The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition ...
How many islands were explored in the Pacific?
With the help of the expedition's scientists, derisively called " clam digger s" and " bug catchers " by navy crew members, 280 islands, mostly in the Pacific, were explored, and over 800 miles of Oregon were mapped. Of no less importance, over 60,000 plant and bird specimens were collected.
Where did the first part of the Wilkes expedition arrive?
The squadron arrived in the Madeira Islands on September 16, 1838, and Porto Praya on October 6.
Where did the Flying Fish reach?
The Flying Fish reached 70° on March 22, in the area about 100 miles north of Thurston Island, and what is now called Cape Flying Fish, and the Walker Mountains.
Where did Charles Wilkes travel?
They went to Tierra del Fuego, Chile, Peru, the Tuamotu Archipelago, Samoa, and New South Wales. The expedition led by Wilkes visited Sydney, Australia from where they traveled towards the Antarctic Ocean in December 1839. The expedition first reported their discovery of “an Antarctic continent west of the Balleny Islands ” in 1840. The party further traveled to Fiji and the Hawaiian Islands. At the former, the expedition kidnapped the chief Ro Veidovi and charged him with the murder of a crew of American whalers. Further, two expedition members were killed while bartering for food on Fiji ‘s Malolo Island. Wilkes ‘ crew answered with a counter-attack. It is assumed that about 80 Fijians were killed. Wilkes later employed many Hawaiian porters to haul a pendulum to the summit of Mauna Loa to measure gravity. In 1841, the United States Exploring Expedition under Charles Wilkes visited Funafuti, Nukufetau and Vaitupu. Then they returned by passing the Philippines, the Sulu Archipelago, Borneo, Singapore, Polynesia and the Cape of Good Hope. The expedition returned home to New York City on June 10, 1842.
Why did Wilkes become a commodore?
Welles recommended that Wilkes had been too old to receive the rank of commodore under the act then governing promotions. Wilkes wrote a scathing letter to Welles in response. The controversy ended in his court-martial in 1864. He was found guilty of disobedience of orders, insubordination, and other specifications . He was sentenced to public reprimand and suspension for three years. However, Lincoln reduced the suspension to one year, and the balance of charges were dropped. On July 25, 1866, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral on the retired list.
Who was the commanding officer of the United States Exploring Expedition?
Wilkes was promoted to lieutenant in 1826. The commanding officer originally appointed to the United States Exploring Expedition was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. It was first requested by John Quincy Adams in 1828, however, funding was only approved in 1836. After Jones resigned, Wilkes was assigned by Secretary of War Joel Roberts Poinsett due to his expertise in hydrography, geodesy, and magnetism. Further members of the expedition included naturalists, botanists, a mineralogist, a taxidermist, and a philologist. The expedition was carried by USS Vincennes and USS Peacock, the brig USS Porpoise, the store-ship USS Relief, and two schooners, USS Sea Gull and USS Flying Fish.
What ship did Wilkes use to stop the Confederate troops?
When Wilkes learned that James Murray Mason and John Slidell, two Confederate commissioners (to Britain and France, respectively), were bound for England on a British packet boat, RMS Trent, he ordered the steam frigate San Jacinto to stop them.
What was Wilkes's response to Welles?
The controversy ended in his court-martial in 1864. He was found guilty of disobedience of orders, insubordination, and other specifications . He was sentenced to public reprimand and suspension for three years.
What rank did Wilkes take?
Wilkes was promoted to the rank of commander in 1843 and that of captain in 1855. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he was assigned to the command of USS San Jacinto to search for the Confederate commerce destroyer CSS Sumter.
Why did Wilkes become a commodore?
Wilkes wrote a scathing letter to Welles in response. The controversy ended in his court-martial in 1864. He was found guilty of disobedience of orders, insubordination, and other specifications. He was sentenced to public reprimand and suspension for three years. However, Lincoln reduced the suspension to one year, and the balance of charges were dropped. On July 25, 1866, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral on the retired list.
Where is Charles Wilkes Elementary?
Captain Charles Wilkes Elementary in Bainbridge Island, Washington is his namesake. Wilkes Boulevard in Columbia, Missouri, is named in his honor, as is the Hawaiian plant genus Wilkesia.
Where is Wilkes Land?
Wilkes Land in Antarctica is named after him. In 1923, Wilkes Island, one of the three islands surrounding the lagoon at Wake Atoll was named for Wilkes by Alexander Wetmore, lead scientist of the Tanager Expedition . Captain Charles Wilkes Elementary in Bainbridge Island, Washington is his namesake.
Who was Wilkes nephew?
And, in July 1840, two sailors, one of whom was Wilkes' nephew, Midshipman Wilkes Henry, were killed while bartering for food on Fiji 's Malolo Island. Wilkes' retribution was swift and severe. According to an old man of Malolo Island, nearly 80 Fijians were killed in the incident.