Chapter 9 The Jefferson Era ( ) Section 2 The Louisiana Purchase

Essential QuestionEssential Question How did the Louisiana Purchase affect the nation’s economy and politicsHow did the Louisiana Purchase affect the nation’s economy and politics How did the Louisiana Purchase affect the nation’s economy ($) and politics, (govt.)?

Moving West  Settlers started moving west into Kentucky and Tennessee  Some to the little settled Northwest Territory Conestoga wagons  They loaded their household goods into Conestoga wagons  They traveled with their two most valued possessions  Rifles and axes

The US in 1800  Extended only as far west as Mississippi  West of the river was the Louisiana Territory  This area belonged to Spain  Settlers along the Mississippi river used the river to take their goods to New Orleans and then the East Coast  The Spanish allowed the Americans to use the lower Mississippi and trade in New Orleans  This allowed the western farmers to survive economically

The French Threat  The Spanish said the US could no longer use New Orleans  Jefferson confirmed that Spain secretly gave Louisiana to France  This would hurt the US greatly economically Napoleon Bonaparte  France’s leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, had plans to create empires in Europe and the Americas  Jefferson told Robert Livingston, the new minister to France, to offer as much as $10 million for New Orleans and West Florida

Revolt in Santo Domingo  Napoleon saw Santo Domingo as an important Caribbean naval base from which he could control an American empire  But, the ideas of the French Revolution inspired enslaved Africans to revolt against the island’s plantation owners  Toussaint-Louverture led the rebels  The rebels won and declared the colony an independent republic  Napoleon sent troops to regain control, but were not successful  The country is now called Haiti

The Nation Expands  Without Santo Domingo, Napoleon had little use for Louisiana  Napoleon did need money to finance his war with Britain  The French were ready to sell Louisiana  French foreign minister Charles de Talleyrand and American diplomats made a deal to sell Louisiana  For $15 million

The Louisiana Purchase  Provided cheap and abundant land for farmers  Gave US control of the Mississippi River purchase  Jefferson worried if the purchase was legal  The Constitution said nothing about acquiring new territory authority  By what authority could Jefferson justify the purchase?

More of the Louisiana Purchase  Livingston wrote from Paris and told Jefferson to accept the deal before Napoleon changed his mind  Jefferson decided that the government’s treaty making powers allowed the purchase  October 1803, the Senate approve the purchase  The US doubled in size

The Louisiana Territory  Little was known about the Louisiana Purchase  Jefferson persuaded Congress to sponsor an expedition  Jefferson wanted to know what animals and plants were there  Also where forts could be set up  The expedition was to look for the Northwest Passage

Leaders of the Expedition Meriwether Lewis  Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis, a 28 year old soldier William Clark  The co-leader was William Clark, a 32 year old friend of Lewis  Both were amateur scientists and conducted business with Native Americans  Together they assembled a crew of expert river men, gunsmiths, carpenters, scouts, and a cook  Two men of mixed Native American and French heritage served as interpreters  Clark brought his African American servant named York

The Lewis and Clark Expedition  Actually called the Corps of Discovery  Set out from St. Louis in spring of 1804  Lewis and Clark kept journals and notes of what they saw  The group encountered many Native American groups Sacagawea  One young Shoshone woman named Sacagawea joined the group as a guide

Lewis and Clark  After 18 months and almost 4,000 miles, Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean  The expedition returned in September 1806  Lewis and Clark gathered valuable information about the West  Their journey inspired people to move westward

Pike’s Expedition  Jefferson sent others to explore the Louisiana area as well  Lieutenant Zebulon Pike led two expeditions between 1805 and 1807  Explored present day Colorado  Found what he called Grand Peak… Today it is called-  Pike’s Peak  Americans learned about the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains  Pike also mapped part of the Rio Grande and traveled into what is now Texas

Federalists Plan to Secede  Federalist feared the new states formed from the Louisiana Purchase would be Republican  The Federalists would lose power secede  A group of Federalists in Massachusetts plotted to secede from the Union  New England would be the “Northern Confederacy”  The plotters needed New York to join and they turned to Aaron Burr  The Federalists gave Burr their support when he ran for governor of New York in 1804

Burr and Hamilton  Hamilton never trusted Burr  Hamilton was now concerned about rumors of secession  Hamilton accused Burr of plotting treason  Burr blamed Hamilton for losing the election  Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel

Burr and Hamilton’s Duel  July 1804  Both were armed with pistols  Hamilton pledged not to shoot at his rival  Burr aimed to kill Hamilton  Shots fire  Hamilton is shot and died the next day  Burr fled to avoid arrest

Essential QuestionEssential Question  It secured the Mississippi trade route  Provided cheap, abundant land for farming  Raised fears of increased support for the Republicans which, in turn, caused some federalists to call for secession How did the Louisiana Purchase affect the nation’s economy and politics?