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The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States, departing in May 1804, from near St. Louis making their way westward through the continental divide to the Pacific coast. The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, consisting of a select group of U.S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark. Their perilous journey lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. The primary objective was to explore and map the newly acquired territory, find a practical route across the Western half of the continent, and establish an American presence in this territory before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it. The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific and economic: to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and establish trade with local Native American tribes. With maps, sketches, and journals in hand, the expedition returned to St. Louis to report their findings to Jefferson.〔Woodger, Toropov, 2009 p.150〕〔Ambrose, 1996, Chap. VI〕 ==Overview== According to Jefferson himself, one goal was to find "the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." Jefferson also placed special importance on declaring U.S. sovereignty over the land occupied by the many different tribes of Native Americans along the Missouri River, and getting an accurate sense of the resources in the recently completed Louisiana Purchase.〔Miller, 2006 p.108〕〔Fenelon & Wilson, 2006 pp.90–91〕〔Lavender, 2001 pp.32, 90〕〔Ronda, 1984 pp.82, 192〕 Although the expedition did make notable contributions to science,〔Fritz, 2004 p.113〕 scientific research itself was not the main goal of the mission.〔Ronda, 1984 p.9〕 References to Lewis and Clark "scarcely appeared" in history books even during the United States Centennial in 1876 and the expedition was largely forgotten.〔Ronda, 1984 pp.327–328〕〔Fresonke & Spence, 2004 pp.159–162〕 Lewis and Clark began to gain new attention around the start of the 20th century. Both the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in St. Louis, and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, in Portland, Oregon, showcased Lewis and Clark as American pioneers. However, the story remained relatively shallow—a celebration of U.S. conquest and personal adventures—until the mid-century, since which time it has been more thoroughly researched and retold in many forms to a growing audience.〔 A complete and reliable set of the expedition's journals was finally compiled by Gary E. Moulton in 2004.〔Moulton, 2004〕〔Ambrose, 1996 p.480〕〔Saindon, 2003 pp.vi, 1040〕 In the 2000s, the bicentennial of the expedition further elevated popular interest in Lewis and Clark.〔 Today, no U.S. exploration party is more famous, and no American expedition leaders are more instantly recognizable by name.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lewis and Clark Expedition」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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