Transcript The Louisiana Purchase - Ms. Gonzalez United States History

Louisiana Purchase
The US in 1800
• Extended only as far west
as Mississippi River
• Settlers along the
Mississippi river used the
river to take their goods to
New Orleans and then the
East Coast
• The Spanish allowed the
Americans to use the lower
Mississippi and trade in
New Orleans
• This allowed the western
farmers to survive
economically
The French Threat
• 1802- The Spanish said the US could no longer use
New Orleans
• Jefferson confirmed that Spain secretly gave
Louisiana to France
• This would hurt the US greatly economically
• France’s leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, had plans to
create empires in Europe and the Americas
• Jefferson told Robert Livingston, the new minister to
France, to offer as much as $10 million for New
Orleans and West Florida
He worried that the farmers along the
Mississippi would not be able to send
their goods to New Orleans for trade
with East Coast markets.
Napoleon’s Decision
• France was in war with Britain (very costly)
• France needed to get $$ quick
• Napoleon suddenly decided to sell all of
Louisiana
Jefferson’s Dilemma
• Jefferson saw no reference in the
Constitution for incorporating a large
expanse of land into the Union with
thousands of inhabitants.
• Although he believed in a strict
interpretation of the Constitution,
Jefferson decided to purchase Louisiana
using the power granted to the President
to make treaties.
Was it a Good Deal?
• The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of
the United States.
• The U.S. gained control of the port of New
Orleans.
• With this land purchase, the U.S. became one
of the largest countries in the world.
• The Louisiana Purchase was one of the
largest land sales in the history of the United
States.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
• Thomas Jefferson asked Meriwether Lewis to
lead an expedition to learn all he could about
the new land.
• Lewis asked his friend William Clark to assist
him with the expedition.
• York, William Clark’s slave, also helped with
the mission to explore the new land.
Corps of Discovery
• The leaders of the expedition called their
group the Corps of Discovery.
• The group left from St. Louis and traveled up
the Missouri River in 1804.
• The main goal of the journey was to map the
land for President Jefferson.
• They encountered many Native American
tribes along the way.
Sacagawea
• Sacagawea agreed to
travel with Lewis and
Clark and serve as a
translator.
• She was 15 years old.
• She carried her infant
son on her back during
the journey.
• She died at the age of
26.
Results of the Expedition
• Lewis and Clark traveled from St. Louis to
the Pacific Ocean.
• They returned to St. Louis in 1806.
• The expedition lasted almost 3 years.
• They brought back maps showing the major
rivers and mountains, seeds, plants, and
even living animals.
How were Lewis and Clark able
to reach the Pacific Ocean?
How did the Louisiana Purchase
affect the nation’s economy and
politics?
–It secured the Mississippi trade
route
–Provided cheap, abundant land for
farming