Chapter 10 section 2: The Louisiana Purchase
I. Control of the Mississippi
A. By 1800, many farmers lived between the Appalachian Mts. and the Mississippi River.
B. Farmers relied on the river to ship crops to New Orleans and then taken to ports on the
Atlantic coast.
C. Spain owns New Orleans Territory and threatens to close the port
1. Pinckney Treaty: Spain agrees to let Americans store goods in New Orleans
2. Spain signs treaty giving New Orleans back to France
3. President Jefferson worried France wants to build an empire in North America
II. The US Buys Louisiana
A. Jefferson sends Livingston and Monroe to bargain for New Orleans…will pay up to 10 million
B. France loses Haiti to independence
C. Napoleon needs money to pay for wars in Europe
D. France offers to sell all of Louisiana territory (not just New Orleans)
E. Agree on 15 million
F. Louisiana Purchase doubles the size of the US
III. Lewis and Clark Expedition
A. Lewis and Clark sent to map and study the area west to the Pacific Ocean
1. Across the Plains: saw many herds of animals, brought gifts for natives
2. Stayed with natives during first winter, met Sacagawea, who agreed to accompany
them as a translator
3. Met Shoshones at the Rockies (Sacagawea’s brother), they provided food, horses, and
advice about the best route to take
4. Crossed the Continental Divide: a mountain ridge crossing a river system where rivers
flow in opposite directions
5. Over a year of exploration takes them to the Pacific Ocean. The return trip takes a year.
IV. Pike Explores the West
A. Zebulon Pike:
1. Explored the southwest, captured and released by Spanish
2. Brought back knowledge of the area
B. Conclusion:
Journeys of Pike, Lewis and Clark, excited Americans, yet they did not move westward
for a few years. Many did move to New Orleans area, near the Mississippi. By 1812, population
large enough to apply for statehood. New state named: Louisiana.