The Sublime

American writer Washington Irvin said, "Never need an American look beyond his own country for the sublime and the beautiful of natural scenery". Thank goodness for Thomas Jefferson's love of beauty and nature, and for instilling that in our country. If the early leaders of the United States didn't care about the their surroundings, our country wouldn't have such a pride behind, "America the Beautiful". If not for this hunger to discover more in our lovely country, we may not have been able to claim all of our nation that we know today. The amazing diversity and attractiveness of our country has always been something that we, as Americans, have been proud of. This has been epitomized in early songs such as, "America the Beautiful". Artists have depicted the splendor through art. Andrea Wulf quotes artist Joshua Shaw, "In no quarter of the globe are the majesty and loveliness of nature more strikingly conspicuous than in America". The term that comes to mind, especially in the scenery of an early America is "sublime".

Meriweather Lewis described the newly discovered landscape he continuously as just that, a "sublimely grand spectacle". Lewis had wished he was talented enough to draw the spectacle, and even though he wasn't able to do so, he was able to capture other grand aspects, the wildlife around him. His journals depicting the wildlife will eternally be famous.

I'm sure Meriweather had no idea what an affect his venture would have on the United States, Andrea Wulf only describes the two year endeavor in a few pages, and its a story we've all known since we were in elementary school, but I never new the preparations taken before, and what a devoted interest Jefferson had in the trip. The studying that Lewis had to partake in was extensive, remembering to pay close attention to every aspect of the unknown territory while going right through it. To know the country's future would be so affected by this is not something no one could have anticipated.