Editing Lewis and Clark Expedition (section)

== Geography and science ==
{{Further|List of species described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition}}

[[File:Map of Lewis and Clark's Track, Across the Western Portion of North America, published 1814.jpg|thumb|448px|Map of Lewis and Clark's expedition: It changed mapping of northwest America by providing the first accurate depiction of the relationship of the sources of the Columbia and Missouri Rivers, and the Rocky Mountains around 1814]]

The Lewis and Clark Expedition gained an understanding of the geography of the Northwest and produced the first accurate maps of the area. During the journey, Lewis and Clark drew about 140 maps. Stephen Ambrose says the expedition "filled in the main outlines" of the area.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 483</ref>

The expedition documented natural resources and plants that had been previously unknown to European Americans, though not to the indigenous peoples.<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 60</ref> Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to cross the Continental Divide, and the first Americans to see Yellowstone, enter into Montana, and produce an official description of these different regions.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 409</ref><ref>[[#Woodger|Woodger & Toropov, 2009]] p. 99</ref> Their visit to the Pacific Northwest, maps, and proclamations of sovereignty with medals and flags were legal steps needed to claim title to each indigenous nation's lands under the [[discovery doctrine]].<ref>[[#DeVoto1998|DeVoto, 1997]] p. 552</ref>

The expedition was sponsored by the [[American Philosophical Society]] (APS).<ref name="Woodger104-2">[[#Woodger'09|Woodger, Toropov, 2012]] p. 29</ref> Lewis and Clark received some instruction in [[astronomy]], [[botany]], [[climatology]], [[ethnology]], [[geography]], [[meteorology]], [[mineralogy]], [[ornithology]], and [[zoology]].<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 59</ref> During the expedition, they made contact with over 70 Native American tribes and described more than 200 new plant and animal species.<ref>[[#Uldrich|Uldrich, 2004]] p. 37</ref>

Jefferson had the expedition declare "sovereignty" and demonstrate their military strength to ensure native tribes would be subordinate to the U.S., as European colonizers did elsewhere. After the expedition, the maps that were produced allowed the further discovery and settlement of this vast territory in the years that followed.<ref>[[#Fresonke|Fresonke & Spence, 2004]] p. 70</ref><ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 88</ref>

In 1807, [[Patrick Gass]], a private in the U.S. Army, published an account of the journey. He was promoted to sergeant during the course of the expedition.<ref>[[#Gass|Gass & MacGregor, 1807]] pp. ''iv'', 3</ref> [[Paul Allen (editor)|Paul Allen]] edited a two-volume history of the Lewis and Clark expedition that was published in 1814, in [[Philadelphia]], but without mention of the actual author, banker [[Nicholas Biddle]].<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] pp. 479–480</ref> Even then, the complete report was not made public until more recently.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/journals/contents |title=Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition |website=University of Nebraska Lincoln |access-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530142058/https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/journals/contents |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest authorized edition of the Lewis and Clark journals resides in the [[Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library]] at the [[University of Montana]].