Lewis and Clark | American History Teaching Resources
Dave Raymond covers the westward journey of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in Lesson 16, Lecture 16.3 of his American History video curriculum. We’ve provided links to maps, journals, pictures, movies, and much more.
Here’s a selection from Dave’s lecture where he discusses Lewis and Clark:
Primary Sources: Journals, Maps, and More
Lewis and Clark Journals —See the full text—almost five thousand pages—of the expedition’s journals as well as additional resources.
Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America —An online exhibit from the Library of Congress
Online Resources —Also from the Library of Congress, a resource page full of web links to other “organizational, educational and governmental websites.”
Map Of The Lewis and Clark Expedition —Drawn by Samuel Lewis, based on Clark’s drawings.
Interactive Media
Lewis and Clark Interactive Map —Explore the journey with this clickable map from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Interactive Lewis and Clark Trail —From PBS, made to accompany Ken Burns’ documentary (see below).
Monticello: Jefferson and the Expedition —a page of study resources and PDFs including:
- Boundaries Of The Louisiana Purchase —a printable PDF map
My students like that Dave Raymond details the ‘why’ and not just the ‘when’ of historical events. ~ Judy
Movies and Documentaries
Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery —An excellent Ken Burns documentary, available to Rent on Amazon. (PBS created a page of classroom resources and student activities to accompany this documentary.)
Far Horizons (1955) – A classic film on Lewis and Clark. Watch the trailer on Youtube or Rent on Amazon.
