Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to find the Northwest Passage and explore the territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. What followed was the most important expedition in American history.

Ken Burns tells the story of the Corps of Discovery—the young army men, French-Canadian boatmen, Clark's slave York, and Sacagawea. The film follows their journey from St. Louis to the Pacific and back, documenting encounters with Native tribes and new territory. Burns filmed the actual route at the same time of year they passed through, capturing the spectacular landscapes they traversed.

Jefferson predicted it would take a century to settle the West. After Lewis and Clark, it took less than five years—marking the beginning of the end for Native Americans.