In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the United States.

Our country was

still very young. It had only been 25 years since the 13 original colonies signed the Declaration
of Independence and formed the United States of America.
During its rst 25 years as a nation, the United States worked hard to form a fair system
of government and a strong military. Citizens were taxed to pay for everything that a new
country with 13 states needed. The United States Constitution was written. The Constitution
outlined the way federal and state governments would be run. The Bill of Rights was written,
guaranteeing certain rights and freedoms to every citizen of the United States. Two presidents,
George Washington and John Adams had already been elected. The nation’s capital had
been moved from New York City to Washington, D.C. The White House had been built and
President Jefferson was living and working in the mansion.

OUR COUNTRY’S NEIGHBORS

During our country’s rst 25 years, the boundaries of the United States were much
different than what is shown on a map today. The Mississippi River formed the western
boundary of the United States. To the west of the United States was the Louisiana Territory.
Remember, after losing the French and Indian War, France gave its territory in Louisiana to
Spain. This included the city of New Orleans, a very important shipping port to the Gulf of
Mexico. To the south of the United States was Florida, also controlled by Spain.
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THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
The Mississippi River was a very important waterway for the United States. It was
used by farmers to transport crops to cities along the river. The Mississippi River was also
an important route to the Gulf of Mexico. The United
States sent surplus crops and other American goods
down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.
From the Gulf of Mexico, these items were exported
to other countries. New Orleans was the last city
on the way to the Gulf of Mexico. This city, like
the rest of the Louisiana Territory, was controlled
by Spain.
In 1795, the United States and Spain
signed a treaty. Spain gave the United
States permission to navigate the
entire Mississippi River and use
the city of New Orleans to store
crops and other items until they
were ready to be exported.
Without this permission
from Spain, the United States
would not be able to export a
variety of products that included
our, tobacco, pork, butter, cheese,
and animal skins.
By 1802, farmers, businessmen,
trappers, and lumbermen were exporting
more than one million dollars worth of goods
from New Orleans to other countries.

FEAR OF FRANCE
Soon after becoming president, Thomas
Jefferson learned that Spain had returned the THOMAS JEFFERSON
Louisiana Territory to France. There were rumors
that Spain also planned to give Florida and its other colonies in America to France. This news
worried President Jefferson and the farmers who depended on the Mississippi River. If France
took control of the city of New Orleans, the United States would be cut off from the Gulf of
Mexico.
On October 18, 1802, the Spanish government closed the city of New Orleans. The
United States was no longer permitted to use this city to get to the Gulf of Mexico. President
Jefferson had to stop France from gaining control of Spain’s other colonies in America.
Thomas Jefferson knew that there were only two ways to take action. The United States could
declare war and ght for the land, or it could purchase the land from France.

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FRANCE’S GRAND PLAN
Napoleon Bonaparte was a very powerful man in France. He was a military and
government leader who wanted to create a French empire in America. Bonaparte planned
to operate his empire from the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo where sugar was grown
on huge plantations.
Exporting sugar to other
countries would make
France a very rich country.
After taking the
Louisiana Territory back
from Spain, Napoleon
Bonaparte planned to
use the land around the
MI UNITED STATES
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Mississippi River to grow
SI P
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crops and raise animals to FRENCH TERRITORY
feed his colony in Santo
Domingo. The Mississippi SPANISH TERRITORY
RIVER

River would be used to BRITISH TERRITORY

transport our, salt, lumber,
and food to France’s sugar NEW ORLEANS
islands in Santo Domingo.
GULF OF CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
In 1801, Napoleon
MEXICO
Bonaparte put his plan
into action. He sent a
S D
large military force to take ANTO OMINGO

complete control of Santo

Domingo.
During the next 10
months, Bonaparte lost over 40,000 soldiers on Santo Domingo to war and yellow fever. He
was forced to retreat from the island and give up his dreams of creating a French empire in
America. Without the protable sugar trade in Santo Domingo, the Louisiana Territory and
the Mississippi River were useless to France.

LIVINGSTON AND MONROE

While Napoleon Bonaparte was waging war on the island of Santo Domingo, President
Jefferson made plans to purchase the city of New Orleans and part of the Mississippi River.
President Jefferson sent Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe to France. Congress
allowed the pair to spend no more than two million dollars for the purchase. President
Jefferson secretly advised Livingston and Monroe to offer France as much as 10 million dollars
for Florida and New Orleans. If France wouldn’t sell its land, Livingston and Monroe hoped
to negotiate (neh•GOH•she•ate) a treaty allowing the United States to use New Orleans.

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THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE
On April 11, 1803, Robert Livingston and James Monroe arrived in France. They were
amazed to learn that Napoleon Bonaparte was offering to sell the entire Louisiana Territory
to the United States. The 885,000 square miles of land would cost the United States 15 million
dollars, or about four cents per acre.
Livingston and Monroe had not gotten permission to spend 15 million dollars. Since
there were no phones or private jets, it would take months to sail back to the United States.
They feared that if they waited to hear from President Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte might
change his mind. On April 30, 1803, Livingston and Monroe agreed to purchase the entire
Louisiana Territory for 15 million dollars.
When news of the purchase reached the United States, President Jefferson was
surprised. He planned to spend 10 million dollars for the port city of New Orleans. Instead,
he received a land package that doubled the size of the United States.
President Jefferson asked Congress to approve the sale. Many of the men in Congress
were against the purchase. They felt that the Louisiana Territory was a worthless desert. Still,
enough men in Congress voted to ratify the Louisiana Purchase. The money to pay for the
purchase was borrowed from English and Dutch banks. On December 20, 1803, the United
States ofcially took possession of the Louisiana Territory.
The Louisiana Purchase was one of Thomas Jefferson’s greatest contributions to the
United States. Doubling the size of the United States without losing any American lives paved
the way for purchasing other territory. As you will soon learn, the Louisiana Purchase also
opened the way for Americans to travel West. It wouldn’t take long for the United States to
grow and become the most powerful nation in the world.

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 Madison Young
Name ___________________________________

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE

Directions: Read each question carefully. Darken the circle for the correct answer.

1 Who was the third president of the 5 How did Napoleon Bonaparte plan to
United States? use the Mississippi River?

A Thomas Jefferson A He planned to give the river to the

United States.
B George Washington
B He planned to use the river to take
C Abraham Lincoln important products to France’s colony
in Santo Domingo.
D John Adams
C He planned to build French colonies in
2 What can you learn by studying the the Gulf of Mexico.
map of our country’s neighbors?
D He planned to use the river to declare
F The Mississippi River was east of war against Spain.
the United States.
6 President Jefferson planned to take
G The Gulf of Mexico was north of control of New Orleans by –
New Orleans.
F declaring war against France
H The Louisiana Territory was west of
the Mississippi River. G declaring war against Spain
J The Spanish Territory was east of H purchasing the land from France
the United States.
J killing Napoleon Bonaparte
3 After reading about the Mississippi
River, you get the idea that – 7 After reading about the Louisiana
Purchase, you learn that –
A the United States wasn’t interested
in the river A Livingston and Monroe made the
purchase without rst getting
B Great Britain controlled the permission from Congress
Mississippi River
B the United States paid too much for the
C the river was important to land
American farmers and trappers
C everyone in Congress agreed that the
D Spain never let the United States Louisiana Territory was a valuable
use the Mississippi River piece of land

4 Why was the city of New Orleans D it will always be remembered as

important to the United States? President Jefferson’s biggest mistake

F It was the last city on the way to the

Gulf of Mexico.
G It was the best place to grow crops.
H It was the only city controlled by
the United States.
J It was the location of our nation’s
capital and the White House.

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