Sacagawea

Heroes come in all forms, some people have heroes like Michael Jordan and Lance Armstrong, others have heroes like George Washington and Franklin Roosevelt, but my hero is Sacagawea. Sacagawea is my hero because she was courageous and determined. Sacagawea was the only female member of the expedition, and she also had her son with her. She showed that woman could do the same as men. Without Sacagawea, the Lewis and Clark expedition might have not been successful.

Sacagawea Statue

Sacagawea was born around 1787, in present day Idaho. Her name, Sacagawea means bird woman. She was the daughter of the Shoshoni tribe’s chief but was captured by the Hidatsa tribe when she was twelve. Later, she was sold to Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trapper, who became her husband. Sacagawea was an important part of Lewis and Clark’s expedition.

Sacagawea was very courageous because she traveled with the expedition for more than 4,000 miles. She also had her son Jean Baptist, who had just been born, with her. Sacagawea helped the expedition by getting horses, and finding things to eat. She was not a greedy person because at the end of the expedition, she was not paid anything or given any land. Sacagawea died on December 20, 1812, in Fort Manuel, she was only 25 years old. Even though she died young, she still lived an interesting life.

Golden Dollar

In 2003, the U.S. minted the golden dollar coin with a picture of Sacagawea and Jean Baptiste, in honor of her bravery. She was a contribution to help, not only the expedition, but also the U.S. There are more memorials, rivers, lakes, mountain areas, and monuments named after her than any other American woman. She was an admirable, brave, and courageous person, and for that she is my hero.