The purchase of Louisiana was the greatest accomplishment during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson in 1803. The purchasing of the Louisiana Territory was the greatest presidential act important because US acquired New Orleans and the Mississippi River, it led to the Lewis and Clark expedition, and began the western expansion movement.
France had control over the Louisiana Territory, but Napoleon Bonaparte needed money to prepare his troops for the upcoming war with the British. In 1802, Spanish authorities, apparently acting under French orders, revoked a U.S.-Spanish treaty that granted Americans the right to store goods in New Orleans. In response, President Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to aid Livingston in the New Orleans purchase
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talks. In mid-April 1803, shortly before Monroe’s arrival, Monroe asked France for the Louisiana Territory. The negotiations moved swiftly, and at the end of April the U.S. envoys agreed to pay around eleven million US dollars and assume claims of American citizens against France in the amount of three million US dollars. In exchange, the United States acquired the vast domain of Louisiana Territory, about 828,000 square miles of land. France and formed a treaty on April 30, but was not signed on May 2. In October, the U.S. Senate ratified the purchase, and in December 1803 France transferred authority over the region to the United States. The acquisition of the Louisiana Territory for the bargain price of less than three cents an acre was among Jefferson’s most notable achievements as president. American expansion westward into the new lands began immediately, and in 1804, a government was established. The purchase allowed the US to reduce the foreign influence in America. On April 30, 1812, exactly nine years after the Louisiana Purchase agreement was made, the first state to be carved from the territory, Louisiana was admitted into the Union as the 18th U.S. state. On May 7, 1718, the French Mississippi Company started an expedition on the land inhabited by the Chitimacha Indians lead by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. This lead to the French and Indian War, which was won by the French and their allies. The British received Canada from France and Florida from Spain, but permitted France to keep its West Indian sugar islands and gave Louisiana to Spain. The acquisition of New Orleans provided the US with another port city. During the first half of the 19th century, New Orleans became the United States’ wealthiest and third-largest city. Its port shipped the produce of much of the nation’s interior to the Caribbean, South America and Europe. New Orleans provided the US with a substantial amount of income and farmers used the land around New Orleans to grow tobacco, sugar cane, and cotton that could be shipped around the world. New Orleans’ vast shipping industry allowed for new slave trading routes and the Mississippi River allowed for those slaves to be sold all across America. The Mississippi River made it easy to ship goods from the south to the north and vice versa. "Cotton, slavery, and Article Three of the Louisiana Purchase Agreement were parts of the same package, so far as Georgia's Senator James Jackson was concerned. Though Jefferson and Napoleon had secured the western half of the Mississippi Valley, Jackson warned his colleagues that it would soon be lost again 'without the aid of slaves. Neither coffee nor cotton can be raised" without them. Louisiana was too hot for white men to farm, Jackson insisted. Without slavery, the whole territory would be so useless that "it must be abandoned" (Kennedy 211-212). This lead to a large slave population being brought to New Orleans because of the white people were unable to grow crops. New Orleans became a stop for people trading slaves because the slaves were able to help the plantation owners in the south grow crops and make a profit. New Orleans and the Mississippi River were very influential in improving the US economy because they made domestic trade easier and added another port city to the US. The Louisiana Territory was an uncharted and full of unexplored dangers.
Thomas Jefferson knew of the uncertainties that lingered inside the Louisiana Territory and decided to send Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Meriwether Lewis, born in Virginia, son of a Lt. William Lewis, and graduated from Liberty hall in 1793 and joined the army and was later placed in the Corps of Discovery. William Clark also born in Virginia was the ninth son of ten children of John and Ann Clark, he voluntarily joined the army and was later recruited in to the Corps of Discovery. The two men were assigned the task of exploring the Louisiana Territory and making treaties with the Indians inside the Louisiana Territory. "He finally decided that the casual manner in which they were traveling did not suggest hostile intent, so the tribe greeted the newcomers in friendly fashion. The captains gave the chiefs American tobacco mixed with kinnickinnick, which the Indians thought superior to whatever they had been smoking" (Lewis, Clark, Pelavin Research Institute, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization 188). The men were able to make treaties with the Indians and even engage in some Indian traditions. The Indians that Lewis and Clark came across taught them how to navigate the different areas of the Louisiana Territory, especially Sacagawea, a Shoshone interpreter that guided Lewis and Clark during their expedition. Lewis and Clark’s expedition allowed many American’s the opportunity of moving west, thus
beginning the Western Expansion Movement. The Western Expansion Movement began after the Lewis and Clark expedition. The War of 1812, the US defeated native tribes of the Old Northwest, the region of the Ohio and Upper Mississippi valleys and began slowly forcing themselves further into Indian Territory. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced the Indians living in modern Oklahoma and Arkansas were forced to leave as Americans began moving west. When gold was discovered in California, waves of treasure seekers poured into the area, thus beginning the California Gold Rush that contributed to more western expansion. In 1862 and 1869 the Homestead Act was passed giving land to those that did not take up arms against the USA during the Civil War and the Transcontinental Railroad were able to draw more people to the west. The Louisiana Purchase set up a domino effect and was Jefferson’s greatest accomplishment as a president. The Louisiana Purchase gave the US New Orleans and Mississippi River, Lewis and Clark’ expedition gave people more knowledge about the Louisiana Territory, and this ultimately led to the Western Expansion Movement that would sweep through the country. The Louisiana
Third, Clark and Lewis couldn’t finish the journey without a little bit of help. Clark and Lewis gained their help from Sacagawea and her husband Charbonneau. Sacagawea was a member of the Shoshone tribe and was taken by the prisoner by the members of the Hidatsa tribe. Her Husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, was an self-sufficient trader who lived among the Hidatsas. Lewis and Clark were offered a deal by a Charbonneau to sign on as a interpreter, because of his Sacagawea. Sacagawea was very big contribution to the Lewis and Clark expedition. She could read maps very well and she could sense in what direction they were to go. Lewis and Clark didn’t have much transportation until Sacagawea negotiated with the Shoshone for horses. Sacagawea was
Lewis and Clark were very successful people however their greatest success was only achievable with the help of Native Americans. April 1803 President Thomas Jefferson purchased uncharted territory from france. Jefferson always had liked the idea of western expansion so when he got the chance he took it. Jefferson pushed for approval to head an exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, and in 1803 it was approved. Jefferson had named Meriwether Lewis the leader and William Clark as his associate it wouldn't be until their first winter during the exploration that sacajawea would come into the picture . However Jefferson did not announce publicly that the U.S. had purchased eight hundred and sixty eight thousand square miles of land for fifteen million dollars until July .Lewis and Clark’s journey began near St.Louis, Missouri May 1804. Most days of the exploration had harsh conditions or at least one challenging obstacle to get around.For example during the exploration the hundred and forty six days spent in North Dakota, they experienced harsh temperatures below zero. This vast amount of uncharted land would become thirteen of the the states we know today. This expedition would discover a hundred and twenty two new animals, and a hundred and seventy eight plants, the expedition took eight hundred and sixty three days over a length of seven thousand six hundred and eighty nine miles, and at the cost of thirty eight thousand seven hundred and seventy two dollars and twenty five cents. Lewis and Clark’s Expedition would not have been as successful as it was without the help of George Drouillard, Sacajawea, and the Native American tribes they encountered. These Native Americans helped provide shelter, food, knowledge, and artifacts ...
The number 1 president of the U.S. Is George Washington. He was a commanding officer while the American Revolution was taking place and he is still one of the main authoritative and famous people in U.S. history. His benefaction stretches out really far out maybe even compared to others in the history of America. George was incorporated two different times in Germantown taking part in history. While the rebellion was taking place (1770s) George directed the U.S. forces in the Germantown war. The way to avoid the Yellow Fever Epidemic (1773), was that the statehouse had to move to Germantown, from Philadelphia. Inside of the Germantown homestead inhabitant Major Franks, George stayed there and encountered his council, that involved Alexander
The United States acquired the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, thereby gaining control of the Mississippi River, and its watershed at the golf of Mexico. The U.S. government realized how important this was and its potential of becoming a great trading post. By 1812 this area called New Orleans grew as expected in size and importance. In peace it was a commercial outlet and trading center of the western United States.
This transaction would come to be known as the Louisiana Purchase and nearly doubled the size of the new nation. While George Washington and John Adams made efforts at westward expansion, Thomas Jefferson secured the Louisiana Purchase and initiated the Lewis and Clark expedition. According to Wulf, “maybe Lewis would find the huge mastodon roaming across the plains; discover profitable crops, flowers in exotic shapes and sizes, and trees that would soar even higher than those already encountered. Jefferson planned this expedition in the name of science, but it would also be the beginning of a distinctly American glorification of the wilderness” (Wulf, 157). The Lewis and Clark expedition and the Louisiana Purchase had such a significant impact on America’s identity.
The Louisiana Purchase stands as an iconic event today that nearly doubled the size of America, ultimately introducing the United States as a world power. In 1762, during the Seven Years’ War, France ceded its control of the Louisiana Territory to Spain (Britannica). However, when Napoleon Bonaparte assumed control of France in 1799, France rallied as a world power once more. Bonaparte’s interest in the Louisiana Territory spiked, and he pressured Spain’s king, Charles IV to relinquish his control of the land on October 1, 1800. This was known as the Treaty of San Ildefonso (Britannica). In view of the transfer between France and Spain, president Thomas Jefferson sent Robert R. Livingston to Paris in 1801. Jefferson became worried, because
It also allowed for continued easy trade through New Orleans, which was a major motivation to make the Purchase (History). However, it did have its negative consequences, namely that, while France may have sold the land, many Native Americans still considered it their home, and for Jefferson’s plan to fill the land with farmers to succeed, they would have to be removed, additionally much of the wildlife on this frontier suffered. Though this probably would have happened even if Jefferson did not make the purchase, his action did speed up the
The Louisiana purchase was a very significant event in the United States of America that changed the country we live in today. Since, “1762, Spain had owned the territory of Louisiana, between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains” (Office of the Historian). This purchase led to many great things due to the French now having possession over it. Even though the French sold major land in the Louisiana Purchase, the money gained by France and the land acquired by America was a win for both sides of the deal.
The Louisiana Purchase was the most important event of President Thomas Jefferson's first Administration. In this transaction, the United States bought 827,987 square miles of land from France for about $15 million. This vast area lay between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Border. The purchase of this land greatly increased the economic resources of the United States, and cemented the union of the Middle West and the East. Eventually all or parts of 15 states were formed out of the region. When Jefferson became president in March 1801, the Mississippi River formed the western boundary of the United States. The Florida's lay the south, and the Louisiana Territory to the west. Spain owned both these territories.
Jefferson was especially concerned that Lewis and Clark establish good connections with the Indians and carry out linguistic and ethnological studies. Consequently, they held several meetings with the Indian tribes they met on their journey. The Americans wanted to open the door to diplomatic relations and gain access to trading rights with the Indians too. They were instructed to notify the Indians of the new sovereignty of the United States under the terms of the Louisiana Purchase. In making these contacts, they hoped to shift trade away from the Spanish, French, English, and Russian competitors and toward American interests.
Two issues during the early republic were the ratification of the Constitution and the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787, yet there was a struggle for its ratification that went on until 1790. The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America in 1803.
...nt achievements of Jefferson’s first administration was the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. The Jefferson reformation was bottomed on fiscal policy; by reducing the means and powers of government it sought to further peace, equality, and individual freedom. In 1804, Thomas Jefferson was reelected, he focused on ending the war.
Though initially his decision was criticized, Thomas Jefferson 's pursuit of the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States, as well as impacted the economy, religion, and race of the nation.
The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the Louisiana Territory by the United States from France in 1803. This purchase encompassed present day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska as well as large portions of Texas, New Mexico,
President Jefferson was instrumental in the Louisiana Purchase, which secured an area extending from Canada to the Gulf and the Mississippi to the Rockies, for fifteen million dollars. This purchase also led to the planning and organization of the Lewis and Clark expedition. However, the argument over whether or not Florida was included in the Louisiana Purchase caused many sarcastic attacks on Thomas Jefferson from members of congress.