Download The Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase
FRAME 7
The United States
bought the
Louisiana Purchase
on April 30, 1803.
Two hundred years ago this week, the
United States signed a treaty with France
that allowed buying the Louisiana
Purchase. The man you see here on the
right was president of the U.S. during this very important land purchase. Who is this president? (Thomas
Jefferson.)
Before the Louisiana Purchase, the United States
stretched from the East Coast to the Mississippi River.
Florida and the lands of Southern Alabama and
Mississippi belonged to Spain. American traders and
farmers near the Mississippi River shipped their goods
down the river in boats like the one on the left. When
they reached the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans, the
goods were loaded on a boat and shipped to the East
Coast to sell. Since the U.S. didn’t own New Orleans, the
country had to make sure that the country that did own
it — at times Spain and at other times France — allowed
them to use it. NEXT PICTURE
BASIC
LEVEL
This week marks the bicentennial
of the Louisiana Purchase. How
long is a bicentennial? (Two hun dred years.) It was on April 30,
1803, that the U.S. and France signed a treaty that gave
the U.S. rights to the lands of Louisiana, which spanned
north and south from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and
east and west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky
Mountains. The man on the right was the U.S. president
during this very important land purchase. Who is he?
(Thomas Jefferson.)
Before the Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. stretched
from the East Coast to the Mississippi River, excluding the area of Florida and the land along the Gulf of
Mexico. Traders and farmers who lived in the western
territories transported their goods to the Gulf of
Mexico and the port city of New Orleans via the
Mississippi River in boats like the one on the left. New
Orleans and the entire tract of the Louisiana Territory
had switched hands between the Spanish and the
French several times after its discovery by the French
explorer LaSalle in 1682. U.S. merchants were always
at the mercy of those countries to allow them to use
the river and the port in New Orleans. Pre s i d e n t
Jefferson sent two U.S. delegates to France to offer to
buy New Orleans, or at least secure French permission to use New Orleans. When French Empero r
Napoleon Bonaparte, in need of money to fund his
wars in Europe and north Africa, offered to sell the
entire area of Louisiana to the U.S., the young country
jumped at the chance. NEXT PICTURE
GENERAL
LEVEL
This week marks the bicentennial
of the signing of the treaty that
t r a n s f e r red the lands of the
Louisiana Purchase from France
to the United States. The man on the right was president when that historic transaction took place. Who is
he? (Thomas Jefferson.)
In early 1803, the United States was a young country
that spanned from the East Coast to the Mississippi
River. American traders and farmers who lived in the
western territories transported their goods to the port
city of New Orleans via the Mississippi River in boats
like the one on the left. From New Orleans, the goods
were shipped out of the Gulf of Mexico to Atlantic ports.
New Orleans and the entire tract of the Louisiana
Territory had switched hands between the Spanish and
the French several times since its discovery in 1682.
The U.S. merchants were always at the mercy of those
countries to allow Americans the use of the river and
New Orleans. How could a closed port at New Orleans
affect the American settlers in the West?
In 1803, President Jefferson sent James Monroe to
France to offer to buy New Orleans. French Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte had at one time wanted to create a
French stronghold in North America, but when he failed
to conquer the Caribbean island of St. Domingue, or
present-day Haiti, he realized he had little use for
Louisiana. Needing money for his wars in Europe more
than he needed wilderness on a distant continent,
Napoleon offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory.
NEXT PICTURE
ADVANCED
LEVEL
Vol. 52 No. 32
April 29-May 5, 2003
The Louisiana Purchase (continued)
In an era without telephones or
telegraphs, the delegates who were
sent
to France to simply secure
The Louisiana
the right to the p ort at New
Purchase nearly
Orleans had to make a big decision on their own. The
doubled the size of
two delegates agreed to buy the Louisiana Territory for
the United States.
$15 million dollars, or about four cents an acre. Now
they had to tell their president that they had just
engaged in a transaction that doubled the size of the
U.S. The map here shows the area of the Louisiana
Purchase. You can also see what states were eventually formed out of the land of the Louisiana Purchase.
In 1803, the country of France owned Do you live in a state that was part of the Louisiana
BASIC the
huge area of land known as the Purchase?
When news of the Louisiana Purchase hit the United
LEVEL L ouisiana T errit ory. The lea de r of States,
some people were angry. They felt the country
France, Napoleon Bonaparte, wanted to
sell this land because it wasn’t of much use to France would be too big and that it would become too difficult
at that time. Napoleon needed money for wars he was to govern such a large nation from one spot on the
fighting. He offered to sell the land to the United East Coast. But others, including President Jefferson,
rejoiced in the purchase. Not only did the United
States, and our young country jumped at the chance.
The map you see her e s hows the Lou isian a States secur e its right to New Orleans a nd the
Purchase. It also shows the different states that were Mississippi River, his vision of a country stretching
eventually made out of the land from the Louisiana from shore to shore was coming true. Settlements into
Purchase. Do you live in a state bought by the the new lands would be encouraged, and eventually 15
Louisiana Purchase? The Louisiana Purchase almost states or parts of states would be carved out of the
doubled the size of the United States. Some people area. President Jefferson, eager to find out about the
thought the purchase was a great idea, while others vast tract of land his country just purchased, orgathought the country was getting too big to rule. nized a great expedition into the lands and a group of
President Jefferson was very happy about the new men were sent to find a water route to the Pacific
land, and sent a group of men to explore it. NEXT PIC- Ocean. Let’s take a look. NEXT PICTURE
TURE
FRAME 8
GENERAL
LEVEL
When James Monroe and James
Livingston, the U.S. minister to
France, were originally sent to
Fr ance, President J ef f e r s o n
instructed them to negotiate with Napoleon to secure
the U.S.’s right to use the port of New Orleans for
shipping and trade purposes. They were authorized to
offer $9 million to buy the port of New Orleans and the
Floridas, present day Florida and the southern parts
of Alabama and Mississippi. What they would end up
telling their president is that they had doubled the size
of the young nation for $15 million, or about four
cents an acre. Do you think this was a good decision for Mr. Monroe and Mr. Livingston to make on
their own? Why or why not?
The map here shows the area of the Louisiana
P u rchase. Eventually 15 states or parts of states
would be carved out of the land. Do you live in a
state that was part of the Louisiana Purchase?
When news of the Louisiana Purchase hit the United
States, some people were angry. Why? (They felt the
country would get too big and that it would be too diffi cult to govern such a large nation.) Do you think this
was a valid fear? Why or why not? But others
rejoiced in the purchase. Not only did the U.S. secure
New Orleans and the Mississippi River, the president’s vision of a country stretching from shore to
shore was coming true. Mr. Jefferson organized an
expedition to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean.
NEXT PICTURE
ADVANCED
LEVEL
Vol. 52 No. 32
April 29-May 5, 2003
The Louisiana Purchase (continued)
FRAME 9
The Corps of
Discovery began
its journey in May
1804.
H e re you see pictures of Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark, the two men
President Jefferson chose to lead a journey that is now called the Lewis and
Clark expedition. What do you know about the Lewis
and Clark expedition? In May 1804, Lewis and Clark
led a group of explorers through the newly acquired
Louisiana Purchase. President Jefferson told Lewis
and Clark to explore and map the area to the Pacific
Ocean and note the animals, plants, and American
Indian tribes they saw along the way. The map here
shows the route they took. From the map, where did
the journey begin? (St. Louis, Missouri.) Lewis and
Clark, 31 men, a dog, and a Native American interpreter named Sacagawea and her infant son traveled
almost the entire journey by boat. They reached the
Pacific Ocean in November 1805. What do you think
it would have been like to be part of the Lewis and
Clark expedition? END OF STORY
BASIC
LEVEL
In May 1804, President Jefferson
sent the Corps of Discovery to
explore the upper reaches of the
Louisiana Purchase and travel
west to the Pacific Ocean. The president directed the
expedition members to map the waters west of the
Mississippi, collect animal, plant, and mineral specimens, and report on the American Indians of the West.
The Corps of Discovery was led by Meriwether Lewis
and William Clark, the two men shown here. The expedition also included 31 other men, a dog, and a Native
American interpreter named Sacagawea. This map
shows the route taken by Lewis and Clark. On their
journey, the Corps of Discovery encountered new animals, like badgers, prairie dogs, and grizzly bears. They
also found new plant and fish species. What do you
think it would have been like to be part of the
Corps of Discovery?
The explorers began their journey in St. Louis and
traveled up the Missouri River. They reached the
Pacific Ocean in November 1805, near the border that
divides present-day Oregon and Washington. They
were able to travel almost their entire journey by boat.
Lewis and Clark took slightly different routes for short
periods of time on the way back to St. Louis. The expedition ended its journey in September 1806. From
your history reading, how did the Lewis and Clark
journey help America understand the Louisiana
Purchase and the West? How do you think the
Louisiana Purchase affected the course of history in
the United States? END OF STORY
GENERAL
LEVEL
One of the most important journeys Americans have ever made
began in May 1804. The two men
you see here were the leaders of
that exploration. Who are they? (Meriwether Lewis
and William Clark.) With three boats, 31 men, one dog,
120 gallons of whiskey, and a “jentle brease,” the Corps
of Discovery set out on an 8,000-mile journey through
wilderness and unmapped land on their exploration of
the Louisiana Purchase. President Jefferson directed
the explorers to char t the waters west of the
Mississippi, collect animal, plant, and mineral specimens, and to report on the American Indians.
The map shows the route taken by the Corps of
Discovery. What city did the group leave from? (St.
Louis, Missouri.) The group traveled up the Missouri
River and was able to make almost their entire journey
by water. During the exploration, the men of the Corps
of Discovery cataloged new animals, plants, and fish.
While wintering at Fort Mandan, North Dakota, the
Corps hired a French trader and his Native American
wife, Sacagawea, as guides and interpreters for the rest
of the journey. What do you know about Sacagawea?
Th e explorers reac hed the Pacifi c O cean in
November 1805, near the border that divides presentday Oregon and Washington. They returned to St.
Louis in September 1806. From your history reading, how did the Lewis and Clark journey help
America understand the Louisiana Purchase? How
important do you think the Louisiana Purchase
was to America? END OF STORY
ADVANCED
LEVEL
Vol. 52 No. 32
April 29-May 5, 2003