US History
Fort Burrows
10.2 – The Louisiana Purchase – 1795 - 1807
Main Idea:
In 1803, the United States purchased the territory of Louisiana from France,
doubling the size of the nation.
Vocabulary:
Pinckney Treaty - a 1795 agreement with Spain that let Americans ship their
goods down the river and store them in New Orleans
Louisiana Purchase - vast territory between the Mississippi River and Rocky
Mountains purchased from France on April 30, 1803
Expedition - a long voyage of exploration
continental divide - mountain ridge that separates river systems flowing
toward opposite sides of a continent
intrusion – act of wrongfully entering, seizing, interfering, or taking possession of
another’s property
skirmish – a brief, unplanned fight
staunch – very loyal to a person or cause
tyrannical – using power in a way that is cruel and unfair
vital – extremely important
blockade – an act of war in which one country uses ships to stop people
decisive – clear and obvious
fortification – a wall or tower that is built to defend a place
tantalizing – interesting and tempting; but just barely out of reach
Setting the Scene:
In Jefferson’s day, riders of the ‘post’ usually traveled on horseback, carrying
mail in saddle bags. But the parcels arriving at the White House this particular day
must have required a whole cart. Jefferson eagerly opened package after package, to
find a remarkable assortment of goods.
The smaller items included more than a hundred plants, a tin box full of insects,
and mineral specimens. Skeletons of prong horned antelope and the horns of a
mountain ram took up more room. There was even live cargo – a prairie dog and a
magpie!
Almost two years earlier, the United States had purchased from France vast
lands West of the Mississippi River. Jefferson then sent Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark to explore the territory. The President carefully examined their reports
and packages, and later read their detailed journals. All this evidence confirmed
Jefferson’s belief that the new lands were a valuable addition to the nation.
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Control of the Mississippi
& By 1800, 1 million Americans lived between the Appalachian Mountains and
Mississippi River
& Most were farmers that relied on Mississippi River to ship their wheat and corn
& Americans sent produce down river to New Orleans and ships carried it to Atlantic
coast
& Spain controlled New Orleans and
& In 1795, GW sent Thomas Pinckney to find a way to keep the vital port open
& Spain agreed to let Americans ship their goods down the Mississippi and store
them in New Orleans in an agreement called the Pinckney Treaty
& In 1800, Spain signed a treaty giving Louisiana back to France
& President Jefferson was alarmed because of fear that Napoleon Bonaparte would
try to build an empire in North America
& Napoleon tried to capture Haiti to start his empire but was unsuccessful
The United States Buys Louisiana
& Jefferson tried to buy New Orleans so American farmers would always be able to
ship their goods through the port
& Jefferson sent James Monroe and Robert Livingston to buy New Orleans and West
Florida from Napoleon and told them they could offer up to $10 million
Ö A Surprise Offer
& Monroe and Livingston negotiated with Talleyrand who showed little interest
& Napoleon had lost Haiti and his plan for an empire in North America and
needed money to pay for costly wars in Europe
& Talleyrand asked Monroe and Livingston if the US wanted to buy ALL of
Louisiana, not just New Orleans!!!!!
& Livingston was surprised but offered $4 Million even though they had no
authority to buy all of Louisiana
& Talleyrand said “too low” and “reflect and see me tomorrow”
& Monroe and Livingston knew Jefferson wanted control of the Mississippi
& They debated and offered to pay $15 Million for Louisiana
¿¿ What was the significance of the Louisiana Purchase ?
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Ö Was the Purchase Constitutional
& Jefferson hailed the news but wasn’t sure the President had the power to
purchase Louisiana
& Constitution said nothing about a President having the power to buy land
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& Jefferson decided he DID have the power to buy Louisiana since he could
“make treaties”
& Senate approved the treaty and the Louisiana Purchase went into effect
& In 1803, the US took control of vast lands west of the Mississippi and the
nation doubled in size
¿¿ INFER --- What was the REASONs President Jefferson used ‘treaty’ to get
approval of Louisiana Purchase ?
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2.________________________________________________________________________
¿¿ What were the new boundaries of the United States in 1804 ?
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Ö Planning an Expedition
& Americans knew little about the Louisiana territory
& Congress provided money for a team of explorers to study the new lands
& TJ chose Meriwether Lewis, his private secretary, to lead an expedition
& Lewis chose William Clark to go with him
& TJ asked Lewis and Clark (L&C) to map a route to the Pacific Ocean and
study the geography of the territory including:
“. . . climate as characterized by the thermometer, by the proportion of
rainy, cloudy, and clear days, by lightning, hail, snow, ice, . . .
the dates at which particular plants put forth or lose their flower, or leaf,
times of appearance of particular birds, reptiles, or insects.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Meriwether Lewis, 1803
& TJ instructed L&C to learn about the Indian nations who carried on busy trade
with the English, French and Spanish
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& TJ hoped the Indians might trade with Americans so he told L&C to tell them of
“our wish to be neighborly, friendly and useful to them”
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Turning Point – The addition of Sacagawea to the Lewis and Clark team was vital to
the success of the expedition. Her knowledge of edible fruits and berries, her
familiarity with the terrain, and her ability to translate for the group made her an
invaluable guide.
Many places in the United States honor Sacagawea’s role, such as Lake Sacagawea in
Washington and Sacagawea in Monument on the Continental Divide
in Idaho. Sacagawea’s portrait also appears on the one dollar coin.
& Many adventurous men eagerly competed to join the expedition
& Lewis and Clark judged volunteers based on their character, strength, hunting
skills and ability to survive in the wilderness
& In May 1804, Lewis and Clark started up the Missouri River from St. Louis
Ö Across the Plains
& Lewis and Clark marveled at the grassy plains that stretched “as far as the
eye can reach” full of “immense herds of buffalo, deer, elk and antelope
& Lewis and Clark met people of various Indian nations and gave gifts such as
“peace medals” with the US seal
& They brought mirrors, beads, knives, blankets, sewing needles and fish hooks
& During the first winter, L&C stayed with the Mandans in North Dakota
& L&C worried about crossing the steep Rocky Mountains
& An Indian woman, Sacagawea, was staying with the Mandans but belonged
to the Shoshone people who lived in the Rockies
& Sacagawea and her husband agreed to accompany L&C as translators
Ö Over the Rockies
& In early spring, the party set out to cross the Rockies
& L&C met some Shoshones including Sacagawea’s brother
& Shoshones supplied the expedition with food and horses and advised the best
route to take over the Rockies
& In the Rockies, L&C crossed the Continental Divide
& Some rivers flow east from the Rockies into the Mississippi which drains to
the Gulf of Mexico
& Other rivers flow west from the Rockies and empty into the Pacific Ocean
Ö To the Pacific
& After building canoes, L&C’s party floated toward the Columbia River into
the Pacific Northwest
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& On November 7, 1805, L&C had reached their goal!!!!
& In his journal, Lewis wrote, “Great joy in camp. We are in view of the ocean,
this great Pacific Ocean which we have been so long anxious to see”
& L&C’s return journey took one year and they brought back much useful
information about the Louisiana territory
Pike Explores the West
& Before L&C returned, another explorer set out from St. Louis
& From 1805 to 1807, Zebulon Pike explored the upper Mississippi River, the
Arkansas River, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico
& In November 1806, Pike viewed a mountain peak rising above the Colorado plains,
known today as Pike’s Peak
& Pike entered Spanish territory, was arrested and taken to Mexico
& Spanish took Pike’s map and journals except one map that greatly expanded the
American’s knowledge of the Southwest
& The journeys of L&C and Pike excited Americans but settlers did not move to
western lands for a number of years
& They settled the region closest to the Mississippi River and the population was
large enough to apply for statehood
& In 1812, this territory entered the Union as the state of Louisiana
1. Why was control of the Mississippi River important to the United States ?
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2. How did the United States purchase Louisiana?
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3. What were the results of the explorations of Lewis and Clark and the Zebulon
Pike?
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