purchased in 1803 purchased from france cost: $15 million, about $0.03/acre doubled the size of...

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Purchased in 1803Purchased from FranceCost: $15 million, about $0.03/acreDoubled the size of the United

StatesApproved by Thomas Jefferson,

arranged by James Madison

BASIC FACTS

For trade reasons, Westerners wanted to control the Mississippi River, which meant controlling New Orleans at its mouth.

Jefferson offered to buy New Orleans from Napoleon, the French emperor

Napoleon offered the entire Louisiana Territory instead – he needed lots of money to fight the British

WHY DID WE BUY IT?

The Territory included all or part of 15 states (including Louisiana and Texas)

The Purchase began the process of America’s westward expansion

Jefferson got involved in the British and French wars, by providing money to France

IN THE END…

Most of the Louisiana Territory was

relatively unknown to Americans.

Jefferson assigns Captain Meriwether

Lewis to explore the Territory.

Lewis chooses his friend William Clark to

co-captain the so-called “Corps of

Discovery”, more commonly known as

the…

SO NOW WHAT?

Capt. Meriwether Lewis

LEWIS & CLARK EXPEDITION

The Corps of Discovery

THE EXPEDITION

Nobody in America knew much about the newly

purchased Louisiana Territory

Eager to discover exactly what lay in the lands he

had bought, President Jefferson authorized an

exploring expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and

William Clark

THE TRIP

Lewis & Clark left St. Louis in May of 1804 with about 40 men

(including one slave) and a dog.

They moved slowly up the Missouri River, and stopped for the

winter with the Mandan Indians in what is now North Dakota.

They hired a French-Canadian trapper and his Indian wife,

Sacagawea to guide them

After crossing the Rocky Mountains, they reached the Pacific

Ocean in November of 1805

SACAGAWEA

Sacagawea was important to the success of the

expedition.

She acted as both interpreter and guide.

Maybe even more important, the presence of a

woman and her young child showed other Indians

that the expedition was not a war party.

THE ROUTE

THE RETURN

The return trip was much faster – traveling

downstream and over land they had already mapped

The expedition returned to St. Louis in 1806, after

two years of exploration

Lewis and Clark were national heroes

Only one person died on the expedition. He had

appendicitis and the infection killed him.

THE RESULTS

A

merica had a much better idea of what they had purchased

F

riendly relations were made with many new Indian tribes

H

undreds of new species of animals and plants were discovered

N

ew maps would help future pioneers moving West

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