LOUISIANA PURCHASE
Section 2 Page 272 - 277
LOUISIANA PURCHASE
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As the 1800s began, the United States was
expanding westward
Spain controlled Louisiana, but found it
impossible to keep Americans out of it
They agreed to trade it to France, and pass the
problem on to someone else
France was led by Napoleon, a powerful ruler
who had conquered most of Europe
He wanted to build an empire in North America
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Enslaved Africans in the Caribbean revolted
against French rule
France was at war with Great Britain again
Napoleon needed his army elsewhere and also
needed money for supplies
The U.S. was only trying to buy New Orleans
Napoleon sold all of Louisiana for $15 mil.
(congress authorized $1 mil., Jefferson
authorized $10 mil.)
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The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the
U.S.
It provided many natural resources and major
agricultural and livestock production
VALUE OF
TERRITORY:
 THEN –
$15 MILLION
 NOW –
$300 BILLION
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AVERAGE COST
PER ACRE:
 THEN – 3¢
 NOW - $1000
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THE COMING OF WAR
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Great Britain and France were at war
American trade was threatened
American shipping had neutral rights
Britain blockaded the French coast
France said it would search and seize ships
trading with Britain
Barbary pirates from North Africa attacked
American ships until the USS Constitution was
sent in
Britain needed sailors
 They searched American ships for sailors
they thought had run away from the
British Navy
 Sometimes deserters were captured, but
thousands of impressed Americans were
also taken
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Impressment – the practice of
forcing people to serve in the army
or navy.
Britain’s violations of neutrality sparked
Americans for a response
 Instead of war, Jefferson urged congress
to pass the Embargo Act
 The Embargo Act banned trade with all
foreign countries
 The Embargo Act backfired
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The effects were devastating to American
businesses
 Northern states were losing money
 The Embargo Act damaged Jefferson’s
popularity
 It had little effect on Britain and France
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Conflicts in the West
Settlers continued to pour into the
Northwest Territory
 Native Americans were still angry and
continued their association with the British
 The British began to arm the Natives,
spreading fear with the settlers
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Tecumseh tried to unite the Natives
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The Governor
(William Henry
Harrison) of the
Northwest territory
tried to get Tecumseh
to follow the Treaty
Tecumseh refused
and fighting broke out
U.S. forces defeated
Tecumseh in the
Battle of Tippecanoe
WAR HAWKS
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War Hawks – a name given to several young
members of congress who were calling for war
against Britain
They wanted to stop British influence on Native
Americans and invade Canada to gain more
land
New England Federalists wanted peace to
renew their business ties with Britain
DECLARING WAR
Madison became president in 1808 and
had to deal with the trade wars left by
Jefferson
 In 1812, for the first time in American
history, congress declared war
 Months later, Madison was elected to a
second term
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Again the U.S. was unprepared for war
An army of 7,000 men
Militia with 50,000 to 100,000 poorly
trained soldiers
Two attempts to invade Canada were
stopped by the British
WAR OF 1812
WAR AT SEA:
 British Navy had hundreds of ships
 U.S. Navy had less than 20 and none as
powerful as the British
 The U.S. had well-trained sailors and new
ships such as the Constitution
 The U.S. ships were also much faster
 U.S. won many one-on-one battles, but
the British eventually blockaded the ports
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 BRITISH
ATTACKS IN THE EAST:
 The British won the war against
France in 1814
 They were able to send more troops
to the U.S.
 British attacked Washington D.C.
 Forced Madison to flee
 Burned and destroyed the city
 British
sail on to Baltimore
 Roads were barricaded and the
harbor was blocked
 Shelled Fort McHenry for 25 hours
 Fort McHenry did not surrender
 British chose to retreat
 BATTLE
OF NEW ORLEANS:
 British hoped to take control of the
Mississippi River
 Jackson commanded a mix of troops
including African Americans, Indians,
state militia, and pirates
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British attack Jackson
British are caught in an open field
 British were cut down quickly
 More than 2,000 British were killed
 Jackson was a hero
 The last major conflict of the War of 1812
occurred after the treaty was signed
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CAUSES AND EFFECTS
OF THE WAR
Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812
 CAUSES OF WAR OF 1812:
 - Impressment
 - Interference with shipping
 - British aid to Native Americans
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 EFFECTS
OF THE WAR OF 1812:
 - Increased sense of pride
 - boost in manufacturing
 - Indian resistance weakened