The Louisiana Purchase

EQ: What was the importance of the purchase and exploration of the Louisiana Territory?

I. Westward settlement increase after Revolutionary WarA. By 1800, more than 1 million settlers lived between the

Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi RiverB. Most Westward settlers were farmers

i. They relied on the Mississippi River to ship crops to port of New Orleans

C. Spain threatened to close Port of New Orleans to American ships.

i. Americans made a treaty(Pinckney Treaty) with Spain in 1795. Treaty guaranteed the American’s right to ship good down the Mississippi River to New Orleans

The Nation Looks West

I. Spain secretly gives the Louisiana Territory back to France

A. 1801, Jefferson discovers the transfer of land between the two countries

i. Jefferson alarmed by development, new ruler of France: Napoleon Bonaparte gave him cause to be alarmed

ii. Jefferson feared Napoleon would make France the dominant power in Europe as well as America

iii. If Napoleon controlled Louisiana, Westward expansion of the United States would be blocked.

The Nation Looks West

I. In 1802, Spanish governor of Louisiana withdrew the right of Americans to ship their goods through New Orleans.

A. Westerners wanted to wage war after affair (port blockade)

II. Jefferson decided that the best approach would be to offer to purchase New Orleans from French

A. Sent James Monroe to make a deal; Monroe also had the help of Robert Livingston

B. Men were instructed to buy New Orleans and a territory to the east called West Florida

Buying Louisiana

I. In Paris, the Americans discovered that Toussaint L’Ouverture had been waging a revolution against France in Haiti (their Caribbean colony).

II. Without Haiti as a base, the French could not defend Louisiana in the event of an American War

III. At the same time, tension between France and Britain was on the rise and war was looming; Napoleon need money to support war effort.

IV. France offer the US not only New Orleans, but the entire Louisiana Territory.

Buying Louisiana

Buying LouisianaI. Livingston and Monroe agreed

to purchase territory stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada and from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.

II. Purchase an amazing bargain for the US

A. Cost 15 million ~ 4 cent an acreB. Doubled the size of the countryC. Gave US millions of

unexplored, fertile landD. Gave US control of Mississippi

I. The Constitution does not state that a President has the power to purchase land from a foreign country

II. Jefferson reasoned that the Constitution allowed the President to make treaties, in order for purchase Congress approved the sale as a treaty and land was quickly paid for.

Jefferson’s Dilemma

Lewis and Clark Explore the WestI. Even before purchase of the

Louisiana Territory, Jefferson convinced Congress to spend $2500 on western expedition

II. Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis to lead expedition

A. Lewis chose William Clark as his co-leader

III. Goals of ExplorationA. Report on Geography, plants,

animals, & other natural features of region

B. Make contact with Native American who lived in territory

C. Find out waterways existed between the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean

I. Spring of 1804, Lewis and Clark left St. Louis and headed up the Missouri River

A. Expedition carried 40 men most Americans, several were French Canadians, also included an enslaved African American

B. Mid-July reached the mouth of the Platte river, powerful tributary that flows into the Missouri

C. Early-August- met Native Americans for the first time and reached the eastern edge of the Great Plains

Lewis and Clark Explore the West

I. October 1804, Lewis and Clark meet Sacagawea, who would serve as a translator on their travels

II. Reach the Continental Divide (the Rocky Mountains) by 1805.

III. Reached Columbia River and had to cross a 55 mile stretch of rapids & rough river; after rapids crossing they saw the Pacific Ocean

IV. Began return journey in March 1806, it took half a year to return to St. Louis.

Lewis and Clark

I. 1806-1807- Zebulon Pike explored the southern part of the Louisiana Territory

II. Pike’s Peak in the Colorado Rocky Mountains was named after explorer

III. Pike’s route took him into Spanish New MexicoA. Members of expedition group were arrested as spies by SpanishB. Spanish feared Pike was gathering information for an American

take over of the regionC. Men were held captive for months and were escorted back to

United StatesD. Pike’s report on Spanish borderlands created great American

interest in the region

Pike’s Expedition

1. What was the importance of the purchase and exploration of the Louisiana territory. Explain 3-5 sentences

2. Why was New Orleans important to the United States?3. What important right did the united states gain with Pinckney Treaty of

1795?4. What were some of the goals that Lewis and Clark had to achieve on

their expedition?5. How did Sacagawea contribute to the expedition?6. What did Lewis and Clark encounter that impeded their travel to the

Pacific ocean?7. Define the following terms: expedition, Meriwether Lewis, William

Clark, Continental Divide, Zebulon Pike8. How did the Spanish react to Pike’s expeditions? What did they do?

Section 1 Review Questions