Lousiana Purchase

The Lousiana Purchase was started in 1803. The Lousiana Purchase cost the United States 15 million and it included all the land drained by the western tributaries of the Mississippi River, the size of the United States doubled after the purchase of the Lousiana Purchase. Napoleon Bonaparte persuaded Spain to return the Lousiana Territory, which France had in 1792. The Americans were alarmed about this and Jefferson feared that a strong French presence would force the United States into an alliance with Britain.

Jefferson was very eager to explore the new territory and appointed Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition he called the Corps of Discovery from St Louis to the Pacific coast. Jefferson ordered the Corps to collect scientific information about unknown plants and animals en route to the Pacific and to learn as much as possible about the Native American tribes encountered along the way. Lewis chose William Clark to be second in command. They started out with 50 soldiers and became smaller as the voyage continued. Sacajawea was a important person to Lewis and Clark because she was a interpreter and a guide for them. It took them 2 years and four months to record invaluable information about the western territories.