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EXPLORATION

Louisiana and the West

The West in 1800The West in 1800The West in 1800The West in 1800◊ West was considered land between the Appalachian Mtns and the Mississippi River

◊ Farmers and merchants in the west were using the Miss. River to move products to markets, like New Orleans

◊ France and Spain were secretly negotiating ownership of Louisiana

◊ 3 European countries claimed land on the Pacific coastline

◊ Spain – California from San Diego to San Francisco

◊ Russia – Along the coast all the way to Alaska

◊ Britain – claimed land in-between

◊ France was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte

◊ Wanted to colonize American territory

◊ France successfully negotiated returning Louisiana from Spain

◊ Nearly led to war when discovered by the U.S.

◊ Spain had initially closed the Port of New Orleans to American shipping and westerners were calling for war

◊ To avoid hostilities, Jefferson offered to buy New Orleans

◊ France countered and offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory

France in North AmericaFrance in North AmericaFrance in North AmericaFrance in North America ◊ Multiple factors led to Napoleon’s offer

◊ He was alarmed by America’s determination to keep the port

◊ A slave revolt in the West Indies led to disastrous losses and he re-thought American colonization

◊ France was in a costly war with Britain

◊ Jefferson was torn by his belief of a nation of small farmers vs. his strict interpretation of the Constitution that did not grant the president the right to buy land

◊ Jefferson purchased the land in 1803 for $15 million and it doubled the size of the U.S.

Corps of DiscoveryCorps of DiscoveryCorps of DiscoveryCorps of Discovery◊ Jefferson knew it was important to explore the new territory

◊ Contracted Meriwether Lewis (a skilled hunter and military officer who Jefferson trained in geography, mineralogy, and astronomy) to lead the expedition

◊ He turned to his friend William Clark (a skilled mapmaker and outdoorsmen) to assist the expedition

◊ The volunteer force, Corps of Discovery, set out from St. Louis in May, 1804

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Lewis & Clark Lewis & Clark Lewis & Clark Lewis & Clark

ExpeditionExpeditionExpeditionExpedition◊ They were ordered to establish good relations with the Natives, describe the landscape, plants, and animals

◊ The explorers used the Missouri River as their main route

◊ At the first winter they stopped and built a small fort

◊ While there they met many British & French-Canadian trappers

◊ Sacagawea, with her French husband and their new child guided them, using her language and knowledge of geography

◊ In Nov. 1805, they reached the Pacific and stayed the winter there to review, track, and map their findings

◊ Their journey brought back a wealth of scientific and geographic information

Pike’s ExpeditionPike’s ExpeditionPike’s ExpeditionPike’s Expedition◊ Lewis and Clark explored the northern Louisiana Territory while Zebulon Pike left from St. Louis and explored the south

◊ Spotted the Rocky Mtns from the Red River (the peak he saw would later bear his name)

◊ Spain felt threatened by his expedition and arrested his group at the Rio Grande River

◊ He and his men brought back valuable descriptions of the Great Plains and Rio Grande Valley

Effects of ExplorationEffects of ExplorationEffects of ExplorationEffects of Exploration◊ Explorers of the West brought back tales of adventure as well as new scientific and geographic information

◊ Lewis & Clark produced the first good and accurate maps of the Louisiana Territory

◊ Exploration boosted interest in the fur trade

◊ Pike inaccurately described the treeless Great Plains as a desert, which led Americans to believe it was useless to farming