Darlene R. Stille - The Journals of Lewis and Clark

People make documents to record important events. These documents might tell abouta war or how people lived. They might tell how a nation started. There are two kindsof historical documents. They are called primary sources and secondary sources .

A primary source could be made by someone who saw a historical event. It could alsobe made by someone who was actually involved in a historical event.

Primary sources could be letters or newspaper articles by reporters at the scene.They could be maps, drawings, photographs, or ofcial documents, such as a constitution.Primary sources could also be diaries or journals .

The journals of Lewis and Clark are a primary source used by many to learn about their journey through the western United States.

This is a photo of inside pages of one of the journals written by U.S. explorersMeriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Two U.S. explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, wrote important journals.They tell about their journey northwest to explore territory bought by the UnitedStates in 1803.

Secondary sources are made by people who did not see an event happen and did nottake part in the event. Rather, these authors study history and primary sources andwrite about them. History books and encyclopedia articles are secondary sources.A book about a scientic discovery is a secondary source. Some websites can alsobe secondary sources. This book is a secondary source.

Primary sources are an incredibly important tool for people who study history. Theyshow how people lived and what they experienced in early historical periods. In particular,journals, such as those of Lewis and Clark, provide an insight into what people werethinking and feeling at a certain moment in history.

Secondary sources are also useful. They help people to better understand primarysources. Secondary sources may explain what a primary source means. Sometimes thewriting in a primary source is hard to understand. If it was written long ago, itmay contain words and expressions that people no longer use. This is often the casewith the journals of Lewis and Clark. Secondary sources help explain why an eventor document is important.

Know It!

Benjamin Franklin helped found the American Philosophical Society in 1743. Its membersmet to talk about medicine, science, and other topics. The societys members stillmeet twice a year. The original Lewis and Clark journals are housed in its buildingtoday.

Keeping primary sources safe

Librarians usually make sure that primary sources are safe. The documents must notget wet or torn. They must not be handled very much. They must be safe from resand other disasters.

Important primary sources are kept in reading rooms, where people come to see them.

Library vaults are safe rooms that hold the most important primary sources. Vaultsthat store some of the most important documents in U.S. history are in the National Archives and the Library of Congress, both in Washington, D.C. The American PhilosophicalSociety (APS), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stores the Lewis and Clark journals.These places ensure that important pieces of history are preserved for future generations.

A Time of Expansion

In 1803 the United States was a new nation. Americans had declared independence fromGreat Britain only 27 years before. By 1803 Americans had elected three presidents.The current president was Thomas Jefferson (see the box).

A new nation

The new nation stretched westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.North to south, it stretched from Canada to Florida (see the map).