The Louisiana Purchase Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, had a problem. In 1803, he needed money to fight a war with Britain. He did not want to borrow money from any European country or bank. He turned his eyes to the United States. He knew the United States needed access to the French port of New Orleans in America. So, he blockaded the port and refused to allow American ships to use it.

The Louisiana Purchase He knew that the United States would send negotiators to France to work out a deal. And they did. Thomas Jefferson was president at the time. He told negotiators to buy a piece of the port of New Orleans for $10 million dollars. That was a lot of money. No one expected a problem.

The Louisiana Purchase Napoleon shocked the negotiators. He refused their offer of $10 million dollars. Instead, for $15 million dollars, Napoleon offered to sell the United States Government all the French land known as Louisiana. Back then, Louisiana was bigger than it is today. It stretched from New Orleans all the way to Canada.

The Louisiana Purchase Louisiana, if purchased, would double the size of the United States. Napoleon offered this vast amount of land for a mere 3 cents an acre. It remains even today as the best real estate deal in history.

The Louisiana Purchase You would think Congress would grab at this. But Jefferson had quite a job talking Congress into it. For one thing, the United States would have to borrow money from European banks to pay for it. For another, it was just so huge. But Jefferson was good at talking Congress into things. In 1803, they finally said Yes!

The Louisiana Purchase The question then was, “Now what?” No one had any idea what was in there. They knew there had to be a few trappers and possibly some settlers, both French and Spanish. Native Americas? Jefferson believed the first step was to figure out what they had bought.

Lewis and Clark Jefferson asked Lewis and Clark to explore the territory for new trade, map it, and see if there was a waterway to the Pacific Ocean. The journey would also establish an American claim to the Northwest.

Lewis and Clark Today, Saint Louis, Missouri, is called the Gateway to the West. On May 14, 1804, the expedition left St. Louis heading up the Missouri River. Together with over 40 men, Lewis and Clark started their trip with a large barge and two smaller boats.

Lewis and Clark The explorers faced problems with some of the people they met along the way. But, in reality, the mission would have failed if not for the help and kindness that other Native Americans provided. Fifteen year old Sacajawea joined the team as an interpreter. The fact that she brought her newborn child made the group seem less threatening to some of the people they met.

Lewis and Clark The team followed the Missouri River to its headwaters in present day Montana. From there, they crossed the Rocky Mountains where they connected to the Clearwater River, the Snake River and the Columbia River. They reached the Pacific Ocean (near what is now Portland, Oregon) in November of 1805. The journey took about a year and a half.

Lewis and Clark The return trip home only took six months! In total, they crossed over 8,000 miles on the journey. Unlike other exploration trips, Lewis and Clark only lost one team member of their “Corps of Discovery” group, Sergeant Charles Floyd. His appendix burst. Many men had become ill on the trip, and then recovered. He was the only one who died. The men on this trip were incredibly lucky.

Lewis and Clark Lewis and Clark returned to Jefferson with maps of the territory, scientific data gathered about new plants, animals and natural resources, as well as information about the Native Americans already living in the Louisiana Territory. It was the beginning of a new era in the United States – the era of Western Expansion.