Senator Schmitt Honors the 222nd Anniversary of Lewis and Clark Expedition on Senate Floor

Lewis and Clark’s Historic Journey Began in St. Louis, MO U.S. SENATE — Today, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) spoke on the Senate floor and passed a resolution honoring the 222 nd Anniversary of Lewis and Clark embarking on their western expedition beginning in St. Louis, Missouri. Starting on May 14 th , 1804, the pioneers explored the Missouri River, crossing the Continental Divide of the Americas, eventually ending at the Pacific Ocean in 1805. Watch the Senator’s full speech HERE. Excerpt of remarks as prepared for delivery: “Two hundred twenty-two years ago today, on May 14, 1804, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery departed from the St. Louis region and began one of the most consequential journeys in the history of this Republic… “Jefferson understood something too many in this city have forgotten: nations are not forged by committees of caution. They are forged by men with enough faith to act before every risk has been removed. “Jefferson gave that honor to a small band of men who turned the restless, adventurous, and fearless American spirit into something that would be passed down for centuries. “They were not soft men. They were not managed men. They were men born close enough to the Revolution to understand that freedom is not a theory. It is something bought, defended, and carried forward across generations… “Lewis and Clark did not cross a continent so that their descendants would learn to live small. Because America is not just a collection of abstract ideas. It is a nation. It is a people. It is an inheritance — purchased by the sacrifice of generations who refused to accept the limits placed before them and entrusted to us to carry forward. “From the pioneers who crossed the frontier, to the workers who built our industries, to the innovators who reshaped the modern world, this country has always been defined by people who honored the past by building something worthy of it. “They did not worship ashes but instead preserved fire. That is the legacy of Lewis and Clark. Not merely that they explored a continent, but that they revealed the character of the people capable of building a civilization upon it. “A people who move forward. A people who endure. A people who build. “As America approaches 250 years of independence, that same spirit is being called upon once again. The Spirit of ’76. The Spirit of Manifest Destiny. The Spirit of St. Louis. The American spirit: take the inheritance, carry the flag, and build the future.” Read Schmitt’s resolution HERE. ###