The Louisiana Purchase
&
The Lewis & Clark
Expedition
American History
1
All About the Mississippi River
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The Louisiana
Territory
 Territorial Control: France &
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Spain – Trading.
It was always the intention of
the French Emperor Napoleon
Bonaparte to form a French
Empire in North America.
The City of New Orleans sits at
the mouth of the Mississippi
River.
Control the city, control the
river.
Right of Deposit: Storage for
farmers and merchants.
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Napoleon Bonaparte
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The Conflict
 In 1797, the US signed a treaty with Spain
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that gave them the permanent access in
New Orleans.
In 1800, Spain returned control of the area
to France.
Could U.S. still use the city / port?
Europeans in America: Spain, France,
Britain and Russia.
President Thomas Jefferson sends
delegation to Paris to buy the city of New
Orleans.
5
The US Delegation
James Monroe
Robert Livingston
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Why Would
France Sell?
 Toussaint
L’Oouverture – The
Black Napoleon
 Haitian Rebellion.
 Potential war with
England.
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What The Boss Doesn’t Know…
 $10 million authorized bid
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& no more for New
Orleans.
Napoleon offers the whole
territory for $15 million.
Following orders, Monroe
and Livingston declined
saying they only wanted
the city.
Napoleon said it had to be
all or nothing.
Dilemma for US
Delegation?
The threat of Russia?
8
The Purchase: 1803
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What did We Get & How did we pay for it?
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Land that covers parts of 15 states.
Doubled the size of the US at the time.
Approx. 23% of total US today.
Approx. 530 million acres at 3 ½ - 4 cents per acre.
The only problem the US had was the fact that we
didn’t have 15 million to give the French.
 We borrowed the money from banks in England
and the Netherlands.
 We did send 3 million in gold as a down payment.
 Define Irony: England paying for a French war
against England???
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What was the Goal of the
Expedition?
 Is there a Northwest Passage off the Mississippi
River?
 Who is out there?
 All people in Washington do know is that the
area is full of Indians.
 Dinosaurs?
12
The Lewis & Clark Expedition
Meriwether Lewis
William Clark
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The Men
 Meriwether Lewis was an experienced soldier and
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personal secretary to President Jefferson on matters
involving the Military.
He had no experience as an explorer or a
frontiersmen.
William Clark grew up in a military family, his older
brother was George Rogers Clark, but he was too
young to fight in the Revolution.
He too had no experience in exploration.
Technically, Jefferson placed Lewis in overall
command of the mission, but Lewis and Clark acted
as Co – Captains.
Separate groups / replacement leader.
Both men had experience leading men, which made
them qualified to lead the expedition.
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A Secret Mission: Why?
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The Corp of Discovery
 1804 – 1806: The 1st overland expedition to the
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Pacific and back.
Both Lewis & Clark kept detailed diaries of their trek.
Clark’s lack of formal education.
Lewis was the artist, Clark was the engineer and map
maker.
33 men made up the main part of the Corp.
Throughout the entire expedition, only one member
died, Sergeant Charles Floyd, from acute
appendicitis, early in the voyage.
The Corp set off from St. Louis and traveled the great
rivers of the west, the Columbia and the Missouri
Rivers.
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Can You Read This?
 fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo
raed tihs? You wloud tinhk it wulod be hrad, but it is ralely
qitue esay.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was
rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t
mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny
iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghi t
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it
whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not
raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig
huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you
can raed tihs forwrad it. P.S. Mestir Rsehe is asweme!!!
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Winter of 1804 at Fort Mandan
 In present day
North Dakota.
 The Corp
spent the
winter
interacting with
the peaceful
Mandan Indian
Tribe.
20
Fort Clapsop: Oregon
21
York
 York was the personal
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slave of William Clark.
He had been his
companion slave in
childhood.
Was the only member of
the Corp who did not join
by choice.
Many of the tribes the Corp
encountered had never
seen a Black man before.
Some saw him as the
keeper of the spirit of the
Black Bear.
He was much sought after
for procreation to bring that
spirit into the tribe.
22
Sacagawea
 Question of
Communication?
 Sacagawea was a 20
year old wife of a
French trader who
could translate for
them.
 She joined the Corp
along with her new
born baby.
 Why bring a baby into
the wilderness?
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Susan B. Anthony Dollar
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Reaching the Pacific
 The Corp discovered that there was no water route
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all the way to the Pacific.
They also discovered that they had to cross the
Rocky Mtns. on foot to complete the journey.
Jefferson’s double cross.
Jefferson as President was cheap.
Sending a ship to bring them back was too
expensive so none was sent. No word was sent to
warn the Corp.
The Corp observed and described 178 plants and
122 species and subspecies of animals along the
way.
The Black Bear & the White Tailed Jack Rabbit.
The fates of both Lewis & Clark: Very different lives.
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The Jefferson Nickel
Original Version
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The Nickel Redesign
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New Reverses
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New Reverses II
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Monticello
Jefferson’s Home
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The St. Louis Arch: Gateway to the West
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Best Job Ever
34
Observation Deck
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