Explain the importance of controlling the port of New Orleans and the crisis over it. Describe how the United States gained the Louisiana Territory. Describe Lewis and Clark’s expedition Develop maps based on the expedition of the Louisiana Purchase land area. Create maps based on the classroom. Describe the importance of cartographers. Describe the importance of accurately creating maps.
In 1801, France had signed a treaty with Spain acquiring the Louisiana Territory The Louisiana Territory was a vast amount of land that stretched from the Mississippi River west to the Rocky Mountains, north to Canada, and south to the Gulf of Mexico. This Treaty gave France all of the Louisiana Territory, which included the Port of New Orleans. The Port of New Orleans was a vital commercial waterway in North America. President Jefferson believed that the United States could purchase the Port of New Orleans from France.
In 1803 President Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to negotiate with Napoleon (The Ruler of France) for the Port of New Orleans To the surprise of the Monroe upon his arrival, France offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States! France wanted to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States so that it could utilize any money earned from its sale to fund France’s ongoing war with England The United States would purchase the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million, which was equal to about 4 cents per acre.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the average price of an acre of U.S. land today is over $1,000. That would have made the cost of the Louisiana Territory in today’s dollars equal $37,500,000,000. That is over 37 Billion dollars! Largest land deal in history! Congress later approved the purchase, which was necessary under the Constitution since the President can make treaties but Congress has to ratify them. The land purchased would become 13 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming. After the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, President Jefferson would need to find out exactly what he had purchased. How would he do this? Who would he ask to do this?
The new nation had doubled in size practically overnight, but no one knew precisely what the territory contained. In June 1803, Jefferson instructed Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark to conduct an expedition: The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by it’s course & communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or and other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce.
Jefferson assigned two skilled frontiersmen, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark the task of mapping the Louisiana Territory Lewis & Clark traveled with a crew of 45 explorers and kept detailed journals They would travel with a guide. The name of their guide was:?????
She was the wife of a French- Canadian fur trader She was hired by Lewis & Clark to act as a guide and interpreter She showed explorers where to fish, to hunt, and to find wild vegetables She also helped trade supplies with American Indians
Not only did Lewis and Clark search for a water route to the Pacific (the Northwest Passage), but they also mapped out the new territory,collected and recorded the animals, plants, and other wildlife of the area. They also met the Indians who lived there, observed native customs, and acted as representatives for the United States government. Now it is your turn to “ map a new territory”!!!! It is time for all of you to become Cartographers!
You will all now become cartographers! A cartographer is a mapmaker. Utilize the handout being distributed by Mr. Lugo to complete a map of our classroom. Please be sure to include all information from the handout on your map. Have fun being cartographers but make sure that your maps are ACCURATE. Enjoy!