Between the years of 1803 and 1806, a group of thirty-three individuals, communally
known
as the Corps of Discovery, undertook a most arduous and profound journey.
Their
mission, mandated by President Thomas Jefferson, was to explore and document
the uncharted West of the United States. The Corps of Discovery were to find a water route to the West Coast, which would significantly increase the trading opportunities for a thriving young nation. The Corps of Discovery was to traverse overland to the Pacific Ocean, following two rivers, the Columbia and the Missouri. This great American adventure tale has been researched extensively; nonetheless, many misconceptions about the Lewis and Clark Expedition still abound.
The
purpose of this pathfinder is to assist students from the Oksale Native Teacher
Preparation Program at Northwest Indian College in locating electronic sources
that present the Lewis and Clark Expedition from a more diverse
perspective. The site is designed to
become part of the Virtual Library.
With this pathfinder students will be able to find answers to questions
such as: Where did the Corps travel?
What was happening in the rest of the world during this time
period? Are there any maps I can print
off the web? How many Tribal Nations
did the Corps interact with? Where can
I find information about those Tribal Nations?
What was the reaction of the different Tribal Nations to the members of
the Corps of Discovery?
All
of the resources included in this pathfinder are accessible through the
Internet.
The
most important evaluation criteria I used in selecting sources was whether the
source presented a tribal point of view in its discussion of the Lewis and
Clark Expedition.
I
also selected many sources that would be suitable for teachers to use with
their students.
Therefore,
I attempted to choose several sources that children would be able to comprehend
without great difficulty. Finally, I aimed to present a selection of sites that
were comprised of a variety of mediums.
For example, I selected a photo collection, as well as several sites
that offer audio presentations.
I
began my search with Encyclopedia Americana Online and my search terms were
“Lewis and Clark.” I then began to
research on the Google search engine.
My initial key words were “Lewis and Clark.” This query yielded numerous hits, almost all of them led to
respected sites. To narrow my focus to
sites that presented a tribal perspective, I searched on Google using the key
words, “Native American Sites.” This strategy
linked me to several Native American Indian directories from which I found a
great deal of my sources.
Gibaldi,
Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th Ed. NewYork:
The Modern
Language Association of America, 1999.
1. “Lewis and Clark Expedition.” Encyclopaedia
Britannica. 1999-2000.
Britannica.com Inc. 1 Feb 2001
<http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/5/0,5716,49165+1+48028,00.html?query=lewis%20clark>
The Encyclopedia Britannica is good starting point
for a research project. Although the
articles are usually brief, it will provide a useful overview of a topic. Furthermore, this online resource will
suggest related themes to explore, as well as offer a succinct list of rated
sites to investigate.
The article on the Lewis and Clark Expedition notes
the years of the journey, the leaders and the size of the crew. It also provides an explanation of the
varied objectives of the expedition.
2. Jackson, Donald, “Lewis
and Clark Expedition.” Encyclopedia Americana Online. 2001. Grolier,
Inc. 3 Feb 2001 <http://go.grolier.com/gol>
The Encyclopedia Americana Online is a great resource during the initial phases of a research project. This site allows you to search with Boolean operators by article title; this feature will return only hits that focus specifically on your topic. However, you may also search by full-text or you may browse through a list of article titles. The signed article on the Lewis and Clark Expedition elaborates on various aspects of the journey, such as “embarkation, Indian relations, and the first winter.” The article also includes a bibliography that may be useful during later stages of a project.
In order to provide a more expansive picture of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, it is helpful to be familiar with significant events in North American Indian history. This site “lists over 3000 historical events that happened to or affected the indigenous peoples of North America.” (Konstantin). The site is compiled by a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and may be searched internally by month, date, year, or by a natural language query such as Lewis and Clark.
4. 1800–1899 (A.D.) World History. Infoplease. 2001. The Learning Network Inc.
23 Feb. 2001 <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001237.html>
Infoplease.com is a site that both teachers and students
will find beneficial to gain contextual knowledge of the 19th
century. By searching within the Almanac, users can locate a list of crucial
events in world history during a particular time period, such as the 19th
century. This site may also be used to
search information about territorial expansion by browsing under the History
and Government section and then choosing U.S. History. Furthermore, this site
allows you to search through atlases, encyclopedias, dictionaries and select
biographies. You will also find numerous hyperlinks to historical events and
famous individuals. Photos are displayed on the site.
5. Maps of the United States. 29 Jan. 2001.
Perry-CastaZeda Library Map Collection. UT Library Online. TheGeneral Libraries. The
University of Texas at Austin. 3 Feb. 2000
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/united_states.html>
The Perry-CastaZeda Library Map Collection
is a fantastic site that is accessible to the public through the University of
Texas at Austin’s Library Online. All of the thousands of maps included on this
site are reproducible and can be printed out for use in the classroom. To locate advice on how to best view or
reproduce maps of interest, you can link to FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
located at the bottom of the Perry-CastaZeda Library Map Collection
page. Within the United States’ historical map section, you will find several
interesting maps that plot Early Indian tribes, as well as linguistic groups.
6. Gliese, Paula. 1997. Maps
of Native American Nations, History, Info.
21 Feb. 2001 <http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/mapmenu.html>
The
maps included on this site are particularly intriguing because they focus on
“pre-contact” with European society.
One map, for example, displays the variety of housing types that were
common across the United States.
Another map that depicts cultural areas is hyperlinked to a variety of
sites that discuss the history of that particular region. The maps included on
this site may be reproduced for use in the classroom.
While biographies of Lewis and Clark and the members
of the Corps of Discovery abound on the Web, information about some of the
tribal members they met is more difficult to locate. Students will have to do
some background work first, in order to search this site that alphabetically
lists hundreds of historical figures. A
good idea would be to search some of the journal excerpts first to generate a
list of names. Then students could hunt
for a biography on this site, which is briefly annotated.
<http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/sacajawea.html>
This article pertaining to one of the most
recognized Native American women would be a good selection for students and
teachers alike. Approximately a page
long, the article will provide more in-depth information than an encyclopedia
reference. The content of the article
is based on the book, “Sacajawea”, by Harold P. Howard. Links to other web pages also accompany this
site; the Notable Women Ancestors page might prove useful for future studies of
women in history.
9. Butterfield, Bonnie “Spirit Wind-Walker”. Sacajawea:
From captive to Indian
Interpreter to a true American legend. 10 Feb. 2001 <http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Hall/9626/NativeAmericans.html>
Due to her widespread notoriety, a number of sites
devoted to Sacajawea exist on the World Wide Web. Bonnie “Spirit Wind-Walker” Butterfield’s article is an extremely
thorough examination of the life of Sacajawea based on the journals of Lewis
and Clark. Butterfield discusses the
treatment of Shoshone women during the 19th century, the conflicts
that were pervasive among Tribal peoples, and the uncertainty of events
surrounding Sacajawea’s passing, as well as a myriad of similarly intriguing
topics. To add to the well-written
prose, numerous photos depicting Native peoples from the Northwest Territory
are also displayed on this site.
10. Mitten, Lisa. 25 July 2000. Native
American Nations. 22 Feb. 2001
<http://www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/nations.html>
For students and teachers wishing to find
information on one or more of the Native American Nations with whom the Corps
of Discovery interacted, this site is the optimal choice. Lisa Mitten’s site
links to Tribal Nations’ homepages or sites dedicated to a particular tribe.
The sites are listed alphabetically. A
visit to Lisa Mitten’s homepage might also be profitable; her links include,
“The Mascot Issue”, “Indians in the Military”, and “Native Businesses.”
11. Karkavelas, Will. 2001. Native Nations.
Osaka University. 22 Feb. 2001
<http://jupiter.lang.osaka-u.ac.jp/~krkvls/NNation.html>
This section of Will Karkavelas’ Native American
Nations page lists information regarding Native American Nations by state
rather than alphabetically. This is quite helpful for individuals who may not
begin their searches with a specific tribe in mind. This site provides links to hundreds of tribal nations and often
includes useful maps. Karkavelas also distinguishes between federally
recognized tribes and other Native American Nations. The ramifications of these distinctions are explained as well.
<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/wauhtml/aipnhome.html>
To learn more about the tribal peoples of the
Northwest Coast and the Plateau, this extensive and comprehensive site will aid
you in that mission. This site contains over 7,700 pages of text and some 2,300
photographs compiled from the collections of the University of Washington
Libraries, the Cheney/Cowles Museum/Eastern Washington State Historical Society
in Spokane, and the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle. An internal search engine allows you to
search the site using key words or you may also browse within the site by
subject index, geographic location or author/photographer. Ten signed and illustrated essays are also a
feature of this site.
13. Healy, Don. 1997. Flags of the Native
Peoples of the United States. 28 Feb. 2001
<http://hometown.aol.com/Donh523/navapage/index.htm>
A more visually orientated way to learn about Native American Nations is to study their flags and the symbols carried on them. This site connects you to images of over seventy-five Nations’ flags. Detailed explanations of the components and their significance is expanded upon as well. This source would be very useful for younger students who most likely would enjoy drawing maps and explaining the parts of it to their classmates.
For teachers of young students, a site that contains
visual images is almost a necessity.
This on-line collection, sponsored by the Denver Public Library Western
History/Genealogy and the Colorado Historical Society, contains over 70,000
images of the West, many representing Native Americans. You can browse through the virtual gallery
and come across exhibitions such as “Native American Women”, which depicts 19th
images of women of the plains and southwest desert. A search engine is also available to examine the site’s
database. You may search by title,
author, keyword, or call number.
Other Notable Sites
PBS Online hosts this multi-faceted
site that accompanies the Ken Burns film
entitled “Lewis & Clark: The
Journey of the Corps of Discovery.” The
site is divided into seven main categories, such as “Inside the
Corps” and “Native Americans.”
“The Archive” section gives you the opportunity to read parts of the actual journals kept by the Corps. The
interactive story could be used by independently
by students. Seventeen ready to use
lesson plans are
included that focus on social
studies, math, science, or language arts.
The “Living
History” section offers interviews
with seven experts on the topic of the Lewis and
Clark Expedition. You can listen to these interviews by downloading the RealAudio Player for free.
16. Anderson, Irving W. The History of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition. Lewis and Clark
Trail Heritage Foundation. 12
Feb. 2001. <http://www.lewisandclark.org/pages/story0.htm>
This article, written by a Past
President of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc., is a chronologically organized
discussion of the journey. Each page examines a particular section of the
expedition and offers several photos to highlight
important characters or display journal entries. After referencing an encyclopedia,
this site is a logical next stop.
Students will probably enjoy the feature
that allows you to “proceed on” or “go back.”
The possibilities to independently explore within
this site seem infinite. Animated
graphics, moving pictures, sound files, photos and journal excerpts are just
some of the variety of mediums incorporated into this sophisticate site. Each
month a new episode is added to the already extensive site. As noted in the introduction, for a first
timer, the notes regarding “Quick Trip” are quite useful. However, if you are looking for something
specific, you can search in numerous fields, called “Discovery Paths”, which
open up into a scroll down menu.
Selected journal excerpts are listed by date. A search engine is also I included and search tips are
conveniently listed directly underneath.
This site should be visited time and time again.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Searching for Diversity
A Pathfinder by Jennifer M.
Kern
Between the years of 1803 and 1806, a group of thirty-three individuals, communally
known
as the Corps of Discovery, undertook a most arduous and profound journey.
Their
mission, mandated by President Thomas Jefferson, was to explore and document
the uncharted West of the United States.
This great American adventure tale has been researched extensively; nonetheless, many misconceptions about the Lewis and Clark Expedition still abound.
The purpose of this pathfinder is to assist students from the Oksale Native Teacher Preparation Program at Northwest Indian College in locating electronic sources that present the Lewis and Clark Expedition from a more diverse perspective.
The most important evaluation criteria I used in selecting sources was whether the source presented a tribal point of view in its discussion of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Where should I look for some
general information about the Lewis and Clark Expedition?
It’s always a good idea to compile some brief background information.
Check out the article in the Encyclopedia Americana Online:
Jackson, Donald,
“Lewis and Clark Expedition.” Encyclopedia Americana Online.
2001. Grolier, Inc. 3 Feb 2001 <http://go.grolier.com/gol>
I’d
like to present the Lewis and Clark Expedition with a historical connection.
Where
can I find some chronological information about the time period, especially
with
references to Native American History?
Here’s a site just for you. You can search through the site’s internal engine and input a date like March 4, 1803, for example.
I’d like to locate some reliable information about Sacajawea, the Native American Indian who accompanied the Corps of Discovery for part of their journey. Where should I look?
Butterfield, Bonnie “Spirit Wind-Walker”. Sacajawea:
From captive to Indian interpreter to a true American legend. 10 Feb. 2001
<http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Hall/9626/NativeAmericans.html>
Where could I find information about how the tribal peoples reacted to the Corps of Discovery?
Search on this extremely
extensive site. Choose the “Living
History” icon and once you’ve arrived to a selection of interviews, select
Gerard Baker.
I’d like to show my students some photos of the Tribal people who lived along the Expedition’s path. Are there any sites that display a photo collection.
Yes, there is an
extensive collection of photos available at the following site:
I’d like to read excerpts from the journals of the members of the Corps of Discovery. Could I do this on-line?
You
sure can. Click on the site below and
search under the journal excerpts for a date you’re interested in.
Best
of Luck!