In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States. The nation went from just 17 states east of the Mississippi River to claiming land as far west as present-day Montana. The government knew little about the terrain. President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore and map the area. With little to guide them but a compass, what would Lewis and Clark discover in the mysterious new land? Find the answer to this question and learn what an artifact can tell us about history. How did a small compass play a big role in an amazing journey? What can a battered tree stump tell us about our nation's most tragic conflict? How did four brave men use a common lunch counter to help end segregation? Key artifacts from the Smithsonian collections show that history is something you can still see today. Book jacket.