Part 2 The Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark The Jefferson Era

Livingston and Monroe debate about what to do. They know Jefferson wants New Orleans, but they don’t know if they have permission to buy all of the extra territory. In the end, we ended up buying all of the Louisiana Territory for $15 million. Overnight, the nation doubles in size. It is one of the greatest land bargains in history. The Nation Doubles in Size

Was the Purchase Constitutional? Jefferson was pleased with the purchase, but he wasn’t sure he had the authority to do what he did. He finally decided that because the Constitution said he could make treaties, he would make the purchase a treaty and the Senate could approve it. They did so quickly.

Lewis and Clark Expedition Now that we own this huge territory, we want to know what is there. Congress approves funds for an exploration. To lead the trip, Jefferson chooses his personal secretary, a man named Meriwether Lewis. Lewis also asks his friend William Clark to go. A total of about 50 men go.

Expedition Instructions Jefferson instructed the party to make careful observations, and write down everything that they observed. He wanted to know about the weather, wildlife, soil, and minerals.

The explorers were also supposed to find out more about the Indians in the area, and to try and make friends with them. We hoped to establish trade with them. Most importantly, the party was to search for the Northwest Passage – a waterway to the Pacific that people had been searching for, for centuries.

The Expedition Begins In May of 1804, “The Corps of Discovery” leaves St. Louis and travels up the Missouri River. At first, they travel slowly, because they are fighting the river’s current. Along the way, they trade with Natives. They had brought items such as medals, beads, knives, blankets, needles, and fishhooks.

Winter With the Mandans As winter approached, the explorers stayed with the Mandan Indians in modern-day North Dakota. Luckily, they met a young Shoshone Indian girl named Sacagawea. She was from the Rockies and knew the region well. She agreed to act as a guide and an interpreter. Her husband and small child also went.

Although we are not sure of her exact age, Sacagawea was probably about 16 – just 2 or 3 years older than you! An even greater fact, is that she was from the area that is now Idaho!

The Expedition Continues On the journey, the explorers ran into a lot of animals, including grizzly bears. Mosquitoes were also thick and bothersome, and would sometimes get into the noses of men and animals. Sacagawea was very helpful in identifying natural vegetables that could be eaten and herbs that could be used for medicine.

The fact that a woman and a baby were part of the expedition probably signaled to Indians along the way, that this group was not a war party. Clark’s black slave York was also a source of interest to some natives who had never seen a black person before.