Louisiana Purchase
Grade Level: 4-6
Teacher Guidelines
Instructional Pages
Activity Page
Practice Page
Homework Page
Answer Key
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pages 1 – 2
pages 3 – 6
pages 7 - 8
page 9
page 10
page 11 - 14
Classroom Procedure:
1. Ask students: What would you do if you had a chance
to purchase an acre of land for just 59 cents? How
many acres would you purchase?
2. Allow for responses and discussion. Ask students
if they know how the United States expanded to the
west during the 1800s.
3. Allow for responses and discussion. Introduce the
Louisiana Purchase.
4. Distribute Louisiana Purchase content pages. Read
and review the information with the students. Save
the final question for the lesson closing. Use the
additional resources to enhance understanding.
5. Distribute Activity page. Read and review the
instructions. Group students into 3s or 4s. Individually
the students will complete the 1st half of the activity,
and each map should be similar when completed.
Students then discuss the questions with the group.
Encourage students to debate using facts to support
their responses. Allow sufficient time for discussion.
6. Once completed, the class joins together to respond
to and discuss the questions.
7. Distribute Practice page. Check and review the
students’ responses.
8. Distribute the Homework page. The next day, check
and review the students’ responses.
9. In closing, ask students: If you could purchase the
land the size of your state for just several cents an
acre, how would you plan to use the land? What
would you build on some of the land?
10. Allow for responses and discussion. Encourage
students to share their motivations for use of the land.
Approximate Grade Level: 4 – 6
Objectives:
The students will be able to define the Louisiana
Purchase, identify key facts and figures related
to the purchase, and describe its impact on the
United States
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.3
Class Sessions (45 minutes):
At least 2 class sessions.
Teaching Materials/Worksheets:
Louisiana Purchase content pages (3), Activity
pages (2), Practice page, Homework page
Student Supplies:
Colored pencils, handouts
Prepare Ahead of Time:
Group students for activity. Copy handouts.
Options for Lesson:
Students may work in pairs for the activity.
Create additional questions for the activity and
discussion. Split the class into two groups,
one will be for, the other against, the Louisiana
Purchase. Students create maps from scratch
showing the Purchase. Students identify all 48
states on the map. Assign students individual
people or places related to the lesson to
research and present to the class. Students
create time lines, based on additional research,
related to the Louisiana Purchase.
1
Teacher Notes
The lesson introduces students to the Louisiana Purchase which became significant for the westward
expansion of the United States. Many of the students may be familiar with the westward expansion, the
Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the Gold Rush, but may not be fully aware of how the Louisiana Purchase
is related to the events. Using “before and after” maps, and displaying the growth of the U.S. during the
1800s, is highly recommended for teachers to use with students during the lesson.
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Additional Resources:
CONTENT:
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/louisianapurchase.htm
http://mrnussbaum.com/history-2-2/lapurchase/
http://www.american-historama.org/1801-1828-evolution/louisiana-purchase.htm
http://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase
http://westernexpansion.mrdonn.org/louisianapurchase.html
WORKSHEETS:
http://www.k12reader.com/worksheet/find-the-main-idea-the-louisiana-purchase/
https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/the-louisiana-purchase/
http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/GA/SumterCounty/StaleyMiddle/Uploads/Forms/louisiana%20
purchase%20lessons.pdf
https://www.havefunteaching.com/product/worksheets/social-studies-worksheets/america-worksheets/
louisiana-purchase-worksheet-1/
http://pixelpaperskin.com/study/louisiana-purchase-map-worksheet.html (maps)
VIDEOS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcfBoOqzugA (3 min)
http://kids.britannica.com/students/assembly/view/183187 (2 min)
http://www.teachertube.com/video/louisiana-purchase-182250 (2 min)
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Category.aspx?CategoryID=5420 (Links to…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBAsURdQFi0 (3 min)
2
Louisiana Purchase
A Small Country
Do you live east or west of the Mississippi River?
In the early 1800s, if you had lived west of the
Mississippi, most likely you would have been a
Native American, and you would not have been
a citizen of the United States. As you know, the
original 13 colonies, which later became the first
13 states of America, were mostly located along
the East coast of the New World.
A colonist who wanted to travel “across” the
country would not have far to go, about 1,000
miles. Unlike today, if you want to travel across
the United States, you would need to travel over
3,000 miles. Prior to 1803, the United States would
have been considered a small nation. However,
the population was growing and quality land for
farming and other uses was becoming scarce.
People knew the land west of the Mississippi River existed and many began to head west in search of new
opportunities. The land was not part of the United States, but in 1803
that would dramatically change as the size of the United States doubled
in size under President Thomas Jefferson.
For Sale: Land, Great Location, Low Cost
In 1800, a person living east of the Mississippi would be seriously interested
in the advertisement for land in a great location and with a low cost. Though
there was not an advertisement for people to purchase land west of the
Mississippi, in 1803 Thomas Jefferson did take advantage of a sale that
would double the size of the country, called the Louisiana Purchase.
The Louisiana Purchase included much more land than Louisiana, it also
included either all or parts of the current states of Arkansas, Missouri,
Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico,
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.
3
The Origin of the Purchase
In 1802, New Orleans was not a part of the United States, but Jefferson
wanted to purchase the city because it controlled the Mississippi River,
which was important for shipping goods and products to and from parts
of the country west of the Appalachian Mountains. A treaty with Spain
allowed the American merchants to use the port. However, in 1800,
Napoleon Bonaparte a French military and political leader, returned
Louisiana to French control.
Many Americans believed and feared they would lose the right to use
New Orleans as a port for shipping the goods and products. Jefferson
and his administration thought that purchasing the city of New Orleans
from the French would solve the problem and alleviate their fears. The
purchase would include other parts of Louisiana as well, located east of the Mississippi. The president sent
two negotiators to Paris, France in 1801 to make the deal, James Monroe and Robert Livingston.
However, in Paris, negotiations were not going well. A third
person was called in to help with the negotiations in 1802,
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, who had close ties
to Jefferson and at the time was living in the U.S. Dupont
had close ties to the political powers in France too. As with
many political negotiations, in the past and of those today,
behind the scenes meetings took place on Jefferson’s behalf
as Dupont made a personal visit to France.
Dupont had a better idea than simply purchasing New
Orleans. He believed the U.S. should purchase all of
Louisiana, but Jefferson did not agree. It would mean
France had a right to be in the territory, but he also did not
think presidents had the authority to make such a deal. People on both sides were opposed to the deal for
several other reasons as well.
In 1803, Jefferson again sent Monroe to France with a different set of instructions for a purchase. Sending
Monroe again gave the sense of seriousness to a better deal for the purchase of land. Napoleon decided to
sell all of Louisiana to the U.S. and the negotiators were willing to pay $2 million for New Orleans, but were
then shocked when the entire region, from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada and the Mississippi River to the Rocky
Mountains, was offered for about $15 million. They accepted. The price turned out to be just 3 cents per acre.
Napoleon saw the sale as a positive for the French, and as a strategic move against the British. He wanted
to be on the good side of the U.S. hoping America would go against the British to what he thought would be
inevitable problems in the future. He believed the plan would keep America out of the French conflict with
Britain and France out of North America.
4
In the end, following the purchase, Napoleon used the money to help him with plans to control the European
continent, and between 1805 and 1807, he defeated Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and made himself the
“master” of most of Europe.
Opposition
Of course, with such a large purchase, there would inevitably be those opposed to the plan. There were those
in America, called the Federalists, who were in favor of close relations with Britain and not with Napoleon.
They thought the purchase was unconstitutional believing the U.S made the purchase to declare war on Spain.
It was also thought the citizens living along the East coast of the country would lose political power to those
moving to the West. They foresaw conflicts between farmers and merchants, between the East and West.
The bickering nearly led to some New England states becoming its own confederacy, with Aaron Burr as
its new president, separating itself from America. However, Alexander Hamilton stopped the northern
succession and went against Burr and ended with Hamilton’s death in a duel with Burr in 1804.
Despite the opposition, on April 30, 1803 the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed by Livingston, Monroe,
and French leader, Barbe Marbois. The announcement of the treaty was given by Jefferson on July 4th of
the same year. Following the Senate’s ratification of the treaty, Jefferson authorized possession of the land
on October 31. He also set in motion the expedition of Lewis and Clark for the land’s exploration.
5
The Louisiana Purchase led to Westward Expansion, many people moving to the west of the Mississippi
River to live and work. In subsequent years, the California Gold Rush during the mid-1800s took place
and by the 1890s, nearly 100 years later, the United States included a total of 44 states.
The significance and importance of the Louisiana Purchase can be easily summarized as shown below:
• Doubled the size of the country
• Ended French’s presence in the Midwest
• Reduced Spain’s power in the U.S.
• Obtained the New Orleans port for exports
• Navigation rights on Mississippi & Missouri R.
• Added to the wealth of the country
• Large areas of forest contributed to economy
• Opened opportunities for expansion & farming
The original price of the Louisiana Purchase was $15 million and included 529,911,680 acres of land, which
is about 3 cents per acre. In 2017 dollars, the land would have been worth about $313 million or about 59
cents per acre. Because of the purchase, the United States was no longer a small nation but would become
a leader in the world.
If you could purchase the land the size of your
state for just several cents an acre, how would
you plan to use the land? What would you build
on some of the land?
6
Activity
Name __________________________ Date _________
Follow the instructions:
1. Obtain a map of the United States to help with the activity, and colored pencils.
2. Use BLUE to show the location and path of the Mississippi River.
3. Use GREEN to shade each of the 13 original colonies which are now states.
4. Use YELLOW to shade, and then label, the 15 states (use abbreviations) that were all or part of the
Louisiana Purchase.
5. Use a BLACK dot to identify the location of New Orleans.
6. Use a RED dot to identify the location of your school.
7. Discuss each of the following questions with your group. Write your response and the responses you
agree with from other group members on your Activity Page.
8. When responding to questions, try to persuade other group members to agree with your response if there
is a disagreement among the group.
9. Support your responses with facts if necessary.
10. Once completed, the questions/responses will be discussed with the entire class.
7
Activity
Name __________________________ Date _________
A. What arguments could the Federalists use to prevent the Louisiana Purchase from taking place?
What arguments could be used in favor of the Louisiana Purchase taking place?
Against
For
B. What economic development might take place following the Louisiana Purchase?
C. “For political reasons, it is sometimes important for government deals to take place behind the
scenes, without public knowledge.” Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Why?
D. What effect do you believe the Louisiana Purchase had on the Native Americans? What were the
disadvantages and advantages of the purchase for the Native Americans?
Disadvantages
Advantages
8
Practice
Name __________________________ Date _________
Match to the correct Person
1
A French military and political leader, “master” of Europe.
A Aaron Burr
2
President responsible for the Louisiana Purchase.
B Alexander Hamilton
3
Negotiator sent to Europe a second time by the United States.
C Barbe Marbois
4
Close ties with Jefferson and France, helped with negotiations.
D James Monroe
5
Dies during a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.
E Lewis and Clark
6
A negotiator for the Louisiana Purchase with Monroe.
F Napoleon Bonaparte
7
French leader and signer of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty.
G Pierre du Pont
8
Named by Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Purchase land.
H Robert Livingston
9
Asked by some New England states to be its president.
I Thomas Jefferson
Match to the correct Place
10
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the country.
J California
11
Living here would be a disadvantage, according to Federalists.
K Canada
12
The area the Louisiana Purchase expanded to the west.
L East Coast
13
Gold Rush occurred here during the mid-1800s.
M France
14
Napoleon decided to sell all parts of this state.
N Gulf of Mexico
15
The country the U.S. purchased land from in 1803.
O Louisiana
16
The dividing line between the East and West of America.
P Mississippi River
17
Treaty with this country allowed the U.S. to use New Orleans.
Q New Orleans
18
Negotiators were willing to pay $2 million for this city.
R Rocky Mountains
19
The northern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase.
S Spain
20
The southern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase.
T United States
9
Homework
Name __________________________ Date _________
Answer each of the questions.
1. Name the 15 states that are all or part of the Louisiana Purchase: ______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. In what city in France did the Louisiana Purchase negotiations take place? _______________________
3. What did the city of New Orleans control in 1802? ___________________________________________
4. What was the total cost of the Louisiana Purchase? _________________________________________
5. What was the cost per acre of the Louisiana Purchase? ______________________________________
6. On what date was the Louisiana Purchase Treaty signed? ____________________________________
7. What helped Napoleon defeat Prussia, Russia, and Austria in between 1805 and 1807? _____________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. What mountain range is east of the Mississippi River? _______________________________________
9. How many original colonies were there that made up the U.S.? ________________________________
10. How many total states were part of America during the 1890s? _______________________________
Tell whether each statement is an Opinion (O) of Fact (F) about the Louisiana Purchase.
11
The Louisiana Purchase is the best thing to ever happen for the United Sates.
12
The Louisiana Purchase was a leading reason for Westward Expansion.
13
The West will have more of an advantage over those living in the East.
14
The acquisition of land to the west opened opportunities for farming.
15
Behind the scenes deals, like that made for the purchase, are good for a country.
16
The purchase of land from France was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court.
17
The purchase added to the wealth of the country and forest contributed to the economy.
18
Thomas Jefferson was a much better President due to the decision on the purchase.
19
Without the Louisiana Purchase, today the United Sates would be a smaller country.
20
The Federalist were in favor of close relations with Britain.
10
Activity
Answer Key
(may vary)
Name __________________________
Date _________
Follow the instructions: (States should include abbreviations.)
1. Obtain a map of the United States to help with the activity, and colored pencils.
2. Use BLUE to show the location and path of the Mississippi River.
3. Use GREEN to shade each of the 13 original colonies which are now states.
4. Use YELLOW to shade, and then label, the 15 states (use abbreviations) that were all or part of the
Louisiana Purchase.
5. Use a BLACK dot to identify the location of New Orleans.
6. Use a RED dot to identify the location of your school.
7. Discuss each of the following questions with your group. Write your response and the responses you
agree with from other group members on your Activity Page.
8. When responding to questions, try to persuade other group members to agree with your response if there
is a disagreement among the group.
9. Support your responses with facts if necessary. (Responses may vary.)
10. Once completed, the questions/responses will be discussed with the entire class.
11
Activity
Answer Key
(may vary)
Name __________________________
Date _________
A. What arguments could the Federalists use to prevent the Louisiana Purchase from taking place?
What arguments could be used in favor of the Louisiana Purchase taking place?
Against
For
Illegal for president to do, unconstitutional, harm
citizens in the East, may cause a war with Spain,
political power shift to the west
More land for farmers and others for several uses,
America expands, cities less crowded, etc.
B. What economic development might take place following the Louisiana Purchase?
New cities could be built, people moving west for additional jobs/employment, helpful for merchants and
sales of goods and products, etc.
C. “For political reasons, it is sometimes important for government deals to take place behind the
scenes, without public knowledge.” Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Why?
Responses will vary, may include negotiators can make better decisions without public or political
pressure, details leaked may be taken out of context. Those who disagree may feel it is the rights of
citizens to know what their government is doing, representing them, etc.
D. What effect do you believe the Louisiana Purchase had on the Native Americans? What were the
disadvantages and advantages of the purchase for the Native Americans?
Disadvantages
Advantages
Native American homes taken over, loss of land,
loss of resources, physical harm, etc.
May open new opportunities to sell their goods,
new goods and products from American merchants,
etc.
12
Practice
Answer Key
Name __________________________
Date _________
Match to the correct Person
1
F
A French military and political leader, “master” of Europe.
A Aaron Burr
2
I
President responsible for the Louisiana Purchase.
B Alexander Hamilton
3
D
Negotiator sent to Europe a second time by the United States.
C Barbe Marbois
4 G Close ties with Jefferson and France, helped with negotiations.
D James Monroe
5
B
Dies during a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.
E Lewis and Clark
6
H
A negotiator for the Louisiana Purchase with Monroe.
F Napoleon Bonaparte
7
C
French leader and signer of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty.
G Pierre du Pont
8
E
Named by Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Purchase land.
H Robert Livingston
9
A
Asked by some New England states to be its president.
I Thomas Jefferson
Match to the correct Place
10
T
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the country.
J California
11
L
Living here would be a disadvantage, according to Federalists.
K Canada
12
R
The area the Louisiana Purchase expanded to the west.
L East Coast
13
J
Gold Rush occurred here during the mid-1800s.
M France
14 O Napoleon decided to sell all parts of this state.
N Gulf of Mexico
15 M The country the U.S. purchased land from in 1803.
O Louisiana
16
P
The dividing line between the East and West of America.
P Mississippi River
17
S
Treaty with this country allowed the U.S. to use New Orleans.
Q New Orleans
18 Q Negotiators were willing to pay $2 million for this city.
R Rocky Mountains
19
K
The northern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase.
S Spain
20
N
The southern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase.
T United States
13
Homework
Answer Key
Name __________________________
Date _________
Answer each of the questions.
1. Name the 15 states that are all or part of the Louisiana Purchase: Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa,
Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana,
Wyoming, and Colorado.
2. In what city in France did the Louisiana Purchase negotiations take place? Paris
3. What did the city of New Orleans control in 1802? Mississippi River
4. What was the total cost of the Louisiana Purchase? $15 million
5. What was the cost per acre of the Louisiana Purchase? 3 cents
6. On what date was the Louisiana Purchase Treaty signed? April 30, 1803
7. What helped Napoleon defeat Prussia, Russia, and Austria in between 1805 and 1807? The funding he
received from the sale of land to the United States helped him with plans to control Europe.
8. What mountain range is east of the Mississippi River? Appalachian Mountains
9. How many original colonies were there that made up the U.S.? 13
10. How many total states were part of America during the 1890s? 44
Tell whether each statement is an Opinion (O) of Fact (F) about the Louisiana Purchase.
11 O The Louisiana Purchase is the best thing to ever happen for the United Sates.
12
F
The Louisiana Purchase was a leading reason for Westward Expansion.
13 O The West will have more of an advantage over those living in the East.
14
F
The acquisition of land to the west opened opportunities for farming.
15 O Behind the scenes deals, like that made for the purchase, are good for a country.
16
F
The purchase of land from France was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court.
17
F
The purchase added to the wealth of the country and forest contributed to the economy.
18 O Thomas Jefferson was a much better President due to the decision on the purchase.
19 O Without the Louisiana Purchase, today the United Sates would be a smaller country.
20
F
The Federalist were in favor of close relations with Britain.
14