2. Manifest Destiny And the Louisiana Purchase

3. Manifest Destiny Definition: The belief shared by many Americans that the United States was meant to span from “sea to sea.” The following slide is an artist’s interpretation of Manifest Destiny…

4. “American Progress” by John Gast (1872)

5. In the painting did you notice.. Woman Book in her hands Telegraph Lines Stagecoach Farmers Railroad Covered Wagon Native Americans Horses Buffalo The sky Log Cabin Gold Seekers The “Sea”

6. The Idea of Manifest Destiny led to the Louisiana Purchase.

7. Background of the Louisiana Purchase Napoleon Bonaparte is the Emperor of France. France gains control of the Louisiana Territory in North America. The United States wants control of New Orleans, in order to control the Mississippi River trade route.

8. Background continued… Thomas Jefferson is the President of the United States. Jefferson wants to keep control of New Orleans out of French hands. Jefferson tells Robert Livingston, the US Ambassador to France, to try to buy the city of New Orleans, and West Florida.

9. An Offer is Made…. Livingston meets with Talleyrand, the French Foreign Minister to discuss the purchase. Talleyrand says that without New Orleans, the Louisiana Territory is worthless to the French……he wants to know what will the USA pay for the entire Territory!

10. Why did Napoleon want to sell Louisiana? France was about to go to war with Great Britain, and he did not want to fight Great Britain and America at the same time. There were no French troops in Louisiana. Napoleon needed money for his army. Napoleon knew that if the USA owned Louisiana, they would be a threat to Great Britain in North America.

11. How much was the Louisiana Purchase? Congress authorized $10 million to buy the city of New Orleans. Livingston made the decision to buy the entire territory for $15 million.

12. The Louisiana Purchase

13. What was Jefferson’s response? Jefferson was uneasy at first because he did not believe that the Constitution allowed him to buy territory. But, Jefferson agreed to the purchase because he thought it was in the best interest of the USA.

14. What was the effect of the Louisiana Purchase? It doubled the size of America. The United States had more room to grow. Jefferson believed that the purchase would provide “a wide-spread field for the blessings of freedom.” The Lewis and Clark Expedition were sent to explore the new land.