America 250: From Independence to Discovery
Follow the Story from 1776 to the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

📍 Location: Washington, DC
🟢 FREE | 📘 NPS Passport

What to do & see:

• Explore Thomas Jefferson’s vision for science, discovery, and the young nation. Read his own words on liberty and exploration, then look west across the Potomac River—symbolically toward the lands opened by the Louisiana Purchase that made the Lewis and Clark Expedition possible.​

Why it matters to Lewis & Clark:

• Thomas Jefferson personally chose Meriwether Lewis, shaped the expedition’s objectives, and believed scientific discovery and westward exploration were essential to securing the nation’s future. The Jefferson Memorial stands as one of the most symbolic places connecting Jefferson’s vision to the journey of Lewis and Clark.