Final answer:
The phrase in question refers to historical discussions surrounding the frontier during the era of American westward expansion. 'The managing director' can be seen metaphorically, representing those who orchestrated exploration and settlement, consistent with Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis and broader themes such as Manifest Destiny and the Corps of Discovery.
Step-by-step explanation:
When discussing the phrase 'When finally an authority on the region joined the meeting the following day to finish sketching the frontier, this was not an expert on the scripture but the managing director of the _______', we are delving into a historical context rather than a specific entity or company name. Historically, this situation could refer to the involvement of influential figures in the discussion of frontier boundaries and territorial acquisition during the era of westward expansion in the United States. The passage given talks about the historical significance of the Frontier Thesis, brought forth by historian Frederick Jackson Turner.
Turner proposed that the frontier, as 'the meeting point between savagery and civilization', played a crucial role in shaping American democracy and character. His thesis implied that American society was continually reinvented at the moving border of the westward frontier. This concept was integral to the development and expansion of the United States, tying into the broader theme of Manifest Destiny, the 19th-century doctrine that justified American expansion westward.
The phrase could also relate to the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who were tasked by Thomas Jefferson to explore the new western lands acquired in the Louisiana Purchase and find potential trade routes. Therefore, 'the managing director' is, in this historical context, more metaphorical, referring to those who orchestrated and directed the exploration and settlement processes that followed.