Purchased in 1803 Purchased from France Cost: $15 million, about $0.03/acre Doubled the size of the United States Approved by Thomas Jefferson, arranged by James Madison BASIC FACTS
For trade reasons, Westerners wanted to control the Mississippi River, which meant controlling New Orleans at its mouth. Jefferson offered to buy New Orleans from Napoleon, the French emperor Napoleon offered the entire Louisiana Territory instead – he needed lots of money to fight the British WHY DID WE BUY IT?
The Territory included all or part of 15 states (including Louisiana and Texas) The Purchase began the process of America’s westward expansion Jefferson got involved in the British and French wars, by providing money to France IN THE END…
Most of the Louisiana Territory was relatively unknown to Americans. Jefferson assigns Captain Meriwether Lewis to explore the Territory. Lewis chooses his friend William Clark to co- captain the so-called “Corps of Discovery”, more commonly known as the… SO NOW WHAT? Capt. Meriwether Lewis
LEWIS & CLARK EXPEDITION The Corps of Discovery
THE EXPEDITION Nobody in America knew much about the newly purchased Louisiana Territory Eager to discover exactly what lay in the lands he had bought, President Jefferson authorized an exploring expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
THE TRIP Lewis & Clark left St. Louis in May of 1804 with about 40 men (including one slave) and a dog. They moved slowly up the Missouri River, and stopped for the winter with the Mandan Indians in what is now North Dakota. They hired a French-Canadian trapper and his Indian wife, Sacagawea to guide them After crossing the Rocky Mountains, they reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805
SACAGAWEA Sacagawea was important to the success of the expedition. She acted as both interpreter and guide. Maybe even more important, the presence of a woman and her young child showed other Indians that the expedition was not a war party.
THE ROUTE
THE RETURN The return trip was much faster – traveling downstream and over land they had already mapped The expedition returned to St. Louis in 1806, after two years of exploration Lewis and Clark were national heroes Only one person died on the expedition. He had appendicitis and the infection killed him.
THE RESULTS America had a much better idea of what they had purchased Friendly relations were made with many new Indian tribes Hundreds of new species of animals and plants were discovered New maps would help future pioneers moving West