11.2
Notes
Louisiana
Purchase
• 1800:
France
was
led
by
General
Napoleon
Bonaparte
• Napoleon
spread
his
French
Empire
throughout
Europe,
and
had
his
sights
set
on
North
America
• St.
Domingue
(present
day
Haiti)
was
a
former
French
colony
in
the
Caribbean
• Enslaved
Africans
gained
their
freedom
their
by
revolting
Toussaint­Louverture
• Toussaint‐Louverture
led
the
revolt,
and
ruled
the
Island
• In
order
to
move
his
troops
to
Louisiana,
Napoleon
needed
to
recapture
this
island
• Louverture’s
troops
defeated
the
French
and
prevented
troops
from
coming
in
to
Louisiana
• This
led
the
U.S.
(led
by
Thomas
Jefferson)
to
be
suspicious
of
Napoleon
and
the
French
The
French
in
North
America
• Jefferson
knew
the
French
would
prevent
the
U.S.
from
growing
West
• France
controlled
New
Orleans,
a
vital
port
city
• Jefferson
worried
the
French
would
ruin
American
trade
on
the
Mississippi
River
because
they
controlled
New
Orleans
Acquiring
the
Territory
• Jefferson
told
The
U.S.
Ambassador
to
France,
Robert
Livingston,
to
try
to
buy
New
Orleans
from
France.
• The
French
did
not
want
the
rest
of
the
Louisiana
Territory
without
New
Orleans,
as
they
thought
it
was
worthless
to
them
• They
offered
the
whole
Louisiana
Territory
to
the
U.S.
Napoleon’s
Influence
• Napoleon
was
willing
to
sell
Louisiana
for
a
#
of
reasons:
• France
was
about
to
go
to
war
with
GB
o Did
not
want
to
fight
U.S.
and
GB
• French
had
no
troops
in
Louisiana
o Wanted
more
money
to
buy
supplies
instead
of
more
territory
• If
U.S.
owned
the
land,
it
would
challenge
Britain’s
power
in
N.A.
• “I
have
given
England
a
rival
who,
sooner
or
later,
will
humble
her
pride”
Louisiana
Purchase
• The
territory
was
purchased
for
$15
Million
• 885,000
square
miles
• Purchased
on
May
2nd,
1803
• The
size
of
the
U.S.
almost
doubled
in
size
• Stretches
from
the
Mississippi
River
to
the
Rocky
Mountains
Mission
of
Discovery
• Jefferson
wanted
to
learn
more
about
the
newly
acquired
territory
• Also
wanted
to
see
if
there
was
a
river
route
west
to
the
Pacific
Ocean
• Meriwether
Lewis
and
William
Clark
were
chosen
to
lead
the
expedition
• They
were
to
explore
the
Missouri
River
and
form
peaceful
relations
with
American
Indians
• Also
learn
about
the
environmental
aspects
of
the
region
Lewis
and
Clark
• Lewis
studied
surveying
and
botany
in
order
to
prepare
and
help
him
keep
notes
on
what
he
saw
• The
Corps
of
Discovery­
selected
skilled
frontiersmen
that
travelled
with
Lewis
and
Clark
Sacagawea
• Sacagawea­
A
Shoshone
Indian
that
aided
Lewis
and
Clark
o Helped
to
translate
the
Shoshone
language
o Her
presence
helped
the
group
appear
peaceful
and
she
aided
in
negotiations
along
the
trip
• Her
brother,
who
was
a
chief
they
met
along
the
way,
helped
the
group
cross
the
dangerous
Rocky
Mountains
Journals
• Lewis
and
Clark
kept
journals
of
their
experiences
including:
o Animals
such
as
buffalo,
elk,
deer,
antelope
o Sickness
and
conflicts
with
American
Indians
o Dangerous
terrain,
rivers,
and
terrible
storms
• November
7,
1805
Clark
saw
the
Pacific
Ocean
Results
• While
they
did
not
find
the
river
route
across
the
west,
they
did
accomplish
many
goals
o They
documented
their
travels
including
the
geography
of
the
land
o Collected
valuable
scientific
data
on
plants
and
animals
o Made
positive
contacts
with
American
Indian
groups
o Found
paths
across
the
Rocky
Mountains