1. The Louisiana Purchase
Chapter 8, Section 2
The Louisiana Purchase

2. American Settlers Move West
Early 1800’s
Thousands of American settled in the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio granted statehood
Settlers depended on the Mississippi River to move their goods east
New Orleans was a very important port

3. American Settlers Move West
New Orleans and Louisiana under Spanish control
Region from the Mississippi River to the vast Rocky Mountains
Spanish officials found it impossible to keep American settlers out of the area
In a secret treaty, Spain passed Louisiana to France

4. Louisiana
1802
Just before passing Louisiana off to France, Spain closed the port of New Orleans, angering Americans and hurting the American economy
President Thomas Jefferson asked the U.S. Ambassador to France (Robert R. Livingston) to try to purchase New Orleans
President Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe to help Livingston negotiate terms

5. Napoleon and Louisiana
Napoleon Bonaparte
Powerful ruler of France
Conquered most of Europe
Wanted to rebuild France’s empire
Strategy
Use French colony of Haiti (in the Caribbean) as a supply base
From there, send troops of Louisiana
Enslaved Africans in Haiti revolted and freed themselves from French rule
Napoleon tried to crush the rebellion on the island but his forces were defeated in 1802, ending his hopes of rebuilding a North American empire

6. Jefferson Buys Louisiana
The American ambassador got a surprising offer during his negotiations with French Foreign Minister Charles Talleyrand
When the Americans tried to buy New Orleans, Talleyrand offered to sell all of Louisiana to America
With his hopes of a North American empire dashed, Napoleon turned his attention to Europe
At war with Great Britain
In need of money and military supplies
Hoped that a larger United States would challenge Great Britain’s authority on the world stage

7. Jefferson Buys Louisiana
Knowing a bargain when presented with one, Livingston and Monroe accepted the French offer for $15 million
President Thomas Jefferson was pleased but as a strict constructionist, he was troubled
The Constitution did not mention the purchase of foreign lands
He hated spending large amounts of public money
Louisiana Purchase
Approved by Senate on October 20, 1803
Doubled the size of the United States

9. Explorers Head West
Americans knew very little about western Native Americans
Americans were unfamiliar with western land
President Thomas Jefferson wanted to learn more about the people and land west of the Mississippi River
Jefferson also hoped to find a river route to the Pacific Ocean

10. Lewis and Clark Expedition
1803
President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress to fund an expedition to explore the West
Selected former army captain Meriwether Lewis
Lewis then chose his friend William Clark to co-lead the expedition with him
Lewis spent weeks preparing for the journey by studying with experts about plants and surveying
This helped him to take careful notes on the journey of what he saw
With Clark, Lewis selected 50 skilled frontiersmen to join the Corps of Discovery

11. Lewis and Clark Expedition
Began in May of 1804
Long journey to explore the Louisiana Purchase
Traveled up the Mississippi River to the village of St. Charles
Once past St. Charles, the expedition would receive no more letters, fresh supplies, or reinforcements
Lewis and Clark navigated the Missouri River into unknown lands

13. Contact with Native Americans
The Lewis and Clark expedition traveled more than 600 miles up the Missouri River without encountering any Native American peoples
When the expedition spotted large buffalo herds the in the distance, they smartly guessed that Native Americans would be nearby
Buffalo was a source of food for Native Americans

14. Contact with Native Americans
Lewis utilized interpreters to communicate with the Native Americans that the expedition encountered
Relied on the goodwill of the Native Americans
Sacagawea
Shoshone from the Rocky Mountains
Accompanied the group with her French fur trading husband
Helped the expedition by naming plants and animals
Helped identify edible fruits and vegetables indigenous to the west
Brother provided horses and a guide to lead the expedition across the mountains

15. Contact with Native Americans
After crossing the Rocky Mountains, Lewis and Clark followed the Columbia River and met the powerful Nez Perce along the way
The Nez Perce people provided the expedition with food
Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805 and remained in the Pacific Northwest for the remainder of the winter
Began journey home in March of 1806
Lewis and Clark did not find a river route to the Pacific Ocean, but they learned much about Western Lands and paths across the Rockies

16. Pike’s Exploration Zebulon Pike Young army officer
1806, sent on a mission into the west
Ordered to find the starting point of the Red River
Explored into Colorado and tried to reach the summit of the mountain now called Pike’s Peak
1807, traveled into Spanish territory until his arrest
Suspected Pike was a spy
Released and returned to the United States
Offered many Americans their first description of the Southwest