Download The Louisiana Purchase

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The Louisiana Purchase
By Cathy Pearl
In 1800, many Americans were moving west. Almost one million
Americans lived between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi
River. A lot of them were farmers. There were not many roads in this part
of the country. Farmers had a hard time selling the plants and animals
that came from their farms. Because of this, they used the Mississippi
River to ship their goods. They would put the items on boats. Then they
would send the boats down the river. The goods would go to New
Orleans. At New Orleans, the goods would be put on ships and taken to
other ports.
Spain was in charge of New Orleans until 1800. In 1800, Spain signed a
treaty with France. France was then in charge of New Orleans. President Thomas Jefferson was very worried. The
French ruler may stop Americans from using the port.
Jefferson was right to be worried. The ruler of France wanted to use the port for his own country. He also hoped to
start his own empire in North America. Part of the plans included Haiti. Unfortunately for the leader in France, the
slaves in Haiti decided to revolt. The slaves managed to drive France out of the country. Haiti then declared its
independence.
The ruler of France was not happy. His plans to have an empire in America had not worked as he had hoped. After
losing Haiti, he gave up on the plan. He also needed money to pay for wars in Europe. These wars had been very
expensive. The time was perfect for America to make a move.
Jefferson decided to try and buy New Orleans. He wanted to make sure that Americans would always be able to
use the port. Two men went to France to try and buy the port and part of Florida. Jefferson told them they could
spend no more than ten million dollars to buy the land.
At first, France did not want to sell the land. But suddenly France said that the United States could buy all of the
Louisiana Territory, not just New Orleans. The men were stunned. President Jefferson had told them to buy New
Orleans. At first, they weren't sure what to do. They decided that President Jefferson would be happy to have the
chance to buy all of the territory.
The United States paid fifteen million dollars to buy the land. This meant that the land cost less than three cents an
acre. The United States bought more than five hundred thirty million acres. This one action doubled the land of the
United States. It is about twenty - two percent of the land in the United States today.
In April of 1803, a treaty between the two countries was signed. Jefferson told the American people about it in
July of that year. At first, Jefferson wasn't sure that it was legal. The Constitution did not say that a president could
buy land. In the end, Jefferson decided it was all right. The president has the power to make treaties. The United
States Senate approved the treaty. The land now belonged to the United States.
Congress made plans for the new territory. It said the president could use the military if it was needed. Plans were
also started for people to explore the large, new territory. These plans would soon lead to the Lewis and Clark
expedition.
In December of 1803, a ceremony was held in New Orleans. The French flag was lowered from a flagpole. In its
place went an American flag. Soon, more and more Americans would move into this new territory. At first, most
people stayed close to the east. But before long, more people were moving closer to the Rocky Mountains. Buying
this land was probably the greatest thing that President Thomas Jefferson did. It would also lead to more trouble.
Native Americans would not be happy with the number of Americans moving into land they felt was theirs. They
would begin to fight back. Mexico would also become unhappy with the number of Americans who would move
into land they thought belonged to them. Even with all of this trouble looming in the future, the purchase of this
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land would help the United States grow into a strong, independent country.
The Louisiana Purchase
Questions
1. How much did the United States pay to buy the Louisiana Purchase?
A. Fifteen million dollars
B. Ten million dollars
C. Five million dollars
2. Why did President Jefferson want to buy the land?
3. What year did the United States buy the land?
A. 1804
B. 1803
C. 1800
4. Why did the leader of France want to sell the land?
A. He no longer needed it for his empire in North America.
B. He needed the money for wars in Europe.
C. Both A and B are correct.
5. Why did farmers in the west use the Mississippi River?
A. There weren't many roads in the west.
B. The travel by roads took too long.
C. They liked to use the river more than roads.
6. How much did the land cost per acre?
A. Thirteen cents
B. Thirty cents
C. Three cents
How might the United States be different today if President Jefferson had not bought the Louisiana Territory?
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Why was the Louisiana Purchase important for the United States?
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