In 1803, the Louisiana Territory encompassed what is now at least part of states in the United States. At the time, it was property of France, but Napoleon Bonaparte realized that his country could not control such a vast expanse of land. Thanks in part to a slave revolt in their colony of , France looked for a solution to their potential Louisiana problem. At the same time in the Untied States, President hoped to secure the U. S.’s possession of the city of at the mouth of the with access to the Gulf of Mexico. The U. S. was prepared to offer France for the city, but instead, France sold the entire Louisiana Territory for that amount. The U. S. quickly agreed, and in a a matter of weeks the U. S. more-than in land area. To better evaluate what his country had just purchased, the President sent explorers Lewis, Clark, and their Corps of Discovery to explore the great expanse of the newly purchased land. Setting out westward from the city of , the Corps of discovery traveled mostly on the though Nebraska, the Dakotas, and other present-day states. Lewis & Clark reached the in November of 1805, stayed there for the winter, and set out on their return trip the following March. They were able to retrace their route and return to a by late September of 1806.

Key Terms :
15 million, 150 million, George Washington, Gulf of Mexico, Haiti, Louis XIV, Meriweather, Mississippi River, Missouri River, New Orleans, Pacific Ocean, St, Louis, St. Louis, Thomas Jefferson, William, Doubled, 18, 15