The Louisiana
Purchase
EQ: What was the importance of the purchase and exploration of the Louisiana
Territory?

I.
Westward settlement increase after Revolutionary War
A.
By 1800, more than 1 million settlers lived between the
Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
B.
i.
Most Westward settlers were farmers
They relied on the Mississippi River to ship crops to port of
New Orleans
C.
i.
Spain threatened to close Port of New Orleans to
American ships.
Americans made a treaty(Pinckney Treaty) with Spain in
1795. Treaty guaranteed the American’s right to ship good down the Mississippi River to New Orleans

I.
Spain secretly gives the Louisiana Territory back to
France
A.
i.
1801, Jefferson discovers the transfer of land between the two countries
Jefferson alarmed by development, new ruler of France:
Napoleon Bonaparte gave him cause to be alarmed ii.
iii.
Jefferson feared Napoleon would make France the dominant power in Europe as well as America
If Napoleon controlled Louisiana, Westward expansion of the
United States would be blocked.

I.
A.
In 1802, Spanish governor of Louisiana withdrew the right of Americans to ship their goods through New
Orleans.
Westerners wanted to wage war after affair (port blockade)
II.
A.
Jefferson decided that the best approach would be to offer to purchase New Orleans from French
Sent James Monroe to make a deal; Monroe also had the help of
Robert Livingston
B.
Men were instructed to buy New Orleans and a territory to the east called West Florida

I.
II.
III.
IV.
In Paris, the Americans discovered that Toussaint
L’Ouverture had been waging a revolution against
France in Haiti (their Caribbean colony).
Without Haiti as a base, the French could not defend
Louisiana in the event of an American War
At the same time, tension between France and Britain was on the rise and war was looming; Napoleon need money to support war effort.
France offer the US not only New Orleans, but the entire Louisiana Territory.

I.
II.
Livingston and Monroe agreed to purchase territory stretching from the Gulf of
Mexico to Canada and from the Mississippi River to the
Rocky Mountains.
A.
Purchase an amazing bargain for the US
Cost 15 million ~ 4 cent an acre
B.
C.
D.
Doubled the size of the country
Gave US millions of unexplored, fertile land
Gave US control of
Mississippi

I.
II.
The Constitution does not state that a President has the power to purchase land from a foreign country
Jefferson reasoned that the Constitution allowed the
President to make treaties, in order for purchase
Congress approved the sale as a treaty and land was quickly paid for.

I.
II.
III.
Even before purchase of the
Louisiana Territory, Jefferson convinced Congress to spend $2500 on western expedition
A.
Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis to lead expedition
Lewis chose William Clark as his co-leader
A.
B.
C.
Goals of Exploration
Report on Geography, plants, animals, & other natural features of region
Make contact with Native
American who lived in territory
Find out waterways existed between the Mississippi and the
Pacific Ocean

I.
A.
B.
C.
Spring of 1804, Lewis and Clark left St. Louis and headed up the Missouri River
Expedition carried 40 men most Americans, several were
French Canadians, also included an enslaved African
American
Mid-July reached the mouth of the Platte river, powerful tributary that flows into the Missouri
Early-August- met Native Americans for the first time and reached the eastern edge of the Great Plains

I.
II.
III.
IV.
October 1804, Lewis and Clark meet Sacagawea, who would serve as a translator on their travels
Reach the Continental Divide (the Rocky Mountains) by
1805.
Reached Columbia River and had to cross a 55 mile stretch of rapids & rough river; after rapids crossing they saw the Pacific Ocean
Began return journey in March 1806, it took half a year to return to St. Louis.

I.
II.
III.
A.
1806-1807- Zebulon Pike explored the southern part of the Louisiana Territory
Pike’s Peak in the Colorado Rocky Mountains was named after explorer
Pike’s route took him into Spanish New Mexico
Members of expedition group were arrested as spies by
Spanish
B.
C.
D.
Spanish feared Pike was gathering information for an
American take over of the region
Men were held captive for months and were escorted back to United States
Pike’s report on Spanish borderlands created great
American interest in the region

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What was the importance of the purchase and exploration of the
Louisiana territory. Explain 3-5 sentences
Why was New Orleans important to the United States?
What important right did the united states gain with Pinckney
Treaty of 1795?
What were some of the goals that Lewis and Clark had to achieve on their expedition?
How did Sacagawea contribute to the expedition?
What did Lewis and Clark encounter that impeded their travel to the Pacific ocean?
Define the following terms: expedition, Meriwether Lewis,
William Clark, Continental Divide, Zebulon Pike
How did the Spanish react to Pike’s expeditions? What did they do?