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There are regions of the country where Lewis and Clark are taught in some detail (e.g., Missouri). However, even in those regions, surprisingly little is taught

There are regions of the country where Lewis and Clark are taught in some detail (e.g., Missouri). However, even in those regions, surprisingly little is taught about the actual details of their expedition. The story is mostly told as one of naturalists and cartographers, with some passing mention of native peoples. A "grand adventure in the wilderness" sort of narrative is what I recall from school. If you read the actual journals, two things stick out. First, the expedition was mostly boring. Second, the fact that the west was populated is difficult to miss. The expedition was almost more about establishing trade and diplomatic relations with existing civilizations than about discovering and charting virgin lands. I wonder if one reason that L&C aren't studied more widely is that the happy version of the story is mostly boring ("we made a map and documented fauna") and the more complex/detailed/interesting version of the story makes abundantly clear the extraordinary scope of the Manifest Destiny genocide.

samatman 5y ago
The correct word here is culture. Civilizations are cultures which have cities, as the etymology indicates. The Americas had several indigenous civilizations, including one in Missouri, but that was gone several centuries before Lewis and Clark (most likely culprit being the first wave of smallpox), and the expedition didn't encounter any. It's also true that civilized is used as a term of praise, and uncivilized is really only used as a term of disparagement, but these are connotations, and not ones I intend here.
- thwayunion 5y ago
  The large nations had systems of what the US Army referred to as "settlements" whose size and complexity were perceived as serious threats. Some of the nations comprised of those settlements were even referred to explicitly as civilizations when they assimilated. Maybe "settlements" don't count as cities; the whole thing is a bit pedantic to me. But, in any case, "culture" is too weak a term for the complex social systems, political systems, and living patterns that existed during the time of L&C.

samatman 5y ago

The correct word here is culture. Civilizations are cultures which have cities, as the etymology indicates. The Americas had several indigenous civilizations, including one in Missouri, but that was gone several centuries before Lewis and Clark (most likely culprit being the first wave of smallpox), and the expedition didn't encounter any. It's also true that civilized is used as a term of praise, and uncivilized is really only used as a term of disparagement, but these are connotations, and not ones I intend here.

thwayunion 5y ago
The large nations had systems of what the US Army referred to as "settlements" whose size and complexity were perceived as serious threats. Some of the nations comprised of those settlements were even referred to explicitly as civilizations when they assimilated. Maybe "settlements" don't count as cities; the whole thing is a bit pedantic to me. But, in any case, "culture" is too weak a term for the complex social systems, political systems, and living patterns that existed during the time of L&C.