Across The Continent

In time for the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition, a half-dozen essays examine the explorers' world and the complicated ways it relates to our own. The contributors, whyo are historians, anthropologists, and experts in public affairs, look at the global geopolitics that provided the context for the expedition and at the interest in science, shared by Jefferson, that both justified its undertaking and was fueled by it. The essays consider the continuing impact of the Corps of Discovery, including its effects on Native Americans and its near-mythic status today. Earlier versions of essays in the volume were delivered in the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Distinguished Lecture Series at the U. of Virginia. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Douglas Seefeldt, Lecturer in History at the University of Virginia, is the Director of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Project. Jeffrey L. Hantman is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Archaeology Program at the University of Virginia. Peter S. Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia, is the author of Jefferson’s Empire: The Language of American Nationhood (Virginia).