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Westward Expansion
and Civil War
Chapter 6
Section 1
Territorial Expansion and
Manifest Destiny
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As a Democratic-Republican, President
Thomas Jefferson was committed to the
idea of states’ rights and strict
construction of the Constitution.
Yet Jefferson’s policies as president did
not differ greatly from those of his
Federalist predecessors.
He discovered that in his role as U.S.
president, his first duty was to
strengthen the nation.
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To do this, he
reluctantly
changed his view
of the
Constitution.
The issue that
prompted a
change of mind
was this: Should
he consent to
purchase from
France the vast
territory called
Louisiana?
The Louisiana Purchase
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By 1800 pioneer families had moved
beyond the Appalachian Mountains into
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.
These lands were already part of the
United States.
On the Mississippi River, however, the city
of New Orleans as well as the unexplored
lands of Louisiana to the west were under
French rule.
In 1803 the French emperor Napoleon
Bonaparte made the extraordinary offer to
sell New Orleans and the Louisiana
Territory to the United States for a bargain
price (about $15 million).
Jefferson’s Constitutional
Dilemma
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No clause in the constitution
authorized the national government
to expand the country’s borders.
As a strict constructionist, Jefferson
could not justify making the
purchase.
But to turn down the offer of
Louisiana would be to miss out on
the greatest land sale in history.
Decision for Loose Construction
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Jefferson’s opponents in the
Federalist Party argued for a loose
construction of the Constitution.
According to this view the national
government had many powers that
were implied by the “necessary and
proper” clause of the Constitution.
Reluctantly, Jefferson adopted the
loose construction view when he
asked the Senate to ratify the treaty
with France for the purchase of
Louisiana.
Exploring and Settling the West
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Frontier- An imaginary line dividing
settled areas from the wilderness.
President Jefferson’s purchase of the
Louisiana Territory from France in
1803 more than doubled the land area
of the United States and expanded
U.S. boundaries far beyond the
Mississippi all the way to the Rocky
Mountains.
Thus, a vast new frontier beckoned to
explorers, trappers, and traders,
pioneering farmers, and missionaries.
Lewis and Clark
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With the full support of Congress,
Jefferson sent an expedition led by
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
from St. Louis in 1804 to explore the
newly acquired lands and to look for a
water route to the Pacific.
They enabled the United States to claim
the whole Oregon region and prepared
the way for latter settlement of the
American West.
In addition, the rocks, plants, and
animals that the explorers discovered
and brought back were of great value
for naturalists.
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After the Lewis and
Clark expedition,
Americans became
interested in the
fur trade in the
Oregon Country.
The center of the
fur trade was St.
Louis.
Beaver pelts were
in high demand in
the East of the
United States and
in Europe that
concerned the fur
trade.
Missionaries
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In addition to fur traders,
missionaries traveled to the Oregon
Country to convert Native Americans
to Christianity.
They built missions and schools, and
sent for more settlers from the East.
As a result, by the 1840s, several
thousand American farmers and
pioneers resided in the Oregon
Country.
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Mormons
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One of the largest groups to settle in the
West was the Mormons.
The Mormon Church is also known as the
Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Joseph Smith founded the Church in
Western New York.
Mormons have been persecuted for their
beliefs, which include the practice of
polygamy.
Polygamy- Having more than one spouse
at a time.
In 1844, Joseph Smith was killed by an
Illinois mob, and the Mormons led by
Brigham Young left and moved to Utah.
Many Mormons today reside in Salt Lake
City Utah.
The Spanish, Mexican, and
Native American West
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Texas, New Mexico, Arizona,
and California were the present
day states that were originally
explored and settled by the
Spanish.
The purpose of the mission for
Spanish colonization was to
convert the Native Americans to
Christianity, teach them the
Spanish culture, and make them
loyal subjects.