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Abstract:

This article examines the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) not only as a landmark journey of exploration but also as a foundational element of the United States’ national mythology. The author poses several questions: How did this event shape American national identity? What political and cultural interests drove its organization? How has it been represented in literature, historiography and popular culture? Certain attention is given to the expedition’s interactions with the Indians, the ways in which these encounters were documented at the time, and their subsequent reinterpretations. The report also offers a comparative perspective, juxtaposing the American experience of westward expansion with Russian geographical expeditions of the same period. Additionally, it includes a tentative list of literary works inspired by the expedition, providing a resource for future research on the evolution of the Lewis and Clark narrative within American literature from the 19^th to the 21^st century.