The Louisiana Purchase and the Corps of Discovery

9-2 Notes

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE AND THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY

TOPIC:
LOUISIANA PURCHASE / KEY PEOPLE, TERMS AND EVENTS:
PINCKNEY’S TREATY
NAPOLEON
LOUISIANA TERRITORY
CORPS OF DISCOVERY
LEWIS AND CLARK
/ -  Pinckney’s Treaty with Spain allowed the U.S. to use the lower portion of the Mississippi River for trade
-  Spain secretly sold the Louisiana Territory to France
-  Napoleon wanted to build an American Empire but problems in Santo Domingo (Haiti) convinced him otherwise
-  Napoleon (needing $ for war) and the U.S. (use of the lower Mississippi) struck a deal and the U.S. bought the entire territory for $15 Million
-  Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark (Corps of Discovery) to explore a portion of the newly purchased territory

MERIWETHER LEWIS
-  Co-leader of Corps of Discovery
-  Later became Governor of the Louisiana Territory
-  More of a scientist than William Clark / WILLIAM CLARK
-  Co-leader of Corps of Discovery
-  Later became Governor of the Missouri Territory
-  Expert map-maker
GOALS OF THE TRIP
-  To explore the new Louisiana Territory- explore new environmental features, animals, plants, native tribes
-  To reach the Pacific Ocean / NEZ PERCE
-  Very helpful to Lewis and Clark during the expedition - gave them food, shelter, and helped them make canoes to go down the Snake and Columbia rivers, which ultimately helped them reach the Pacific Ocean.
ST. LOUIS and CAMP WOOD
-  Starting and ending point of the Lewis and Clark expedition / THE SNAKE AND COLUMBIA RIVERS
-  Snake River - begins in the Rocky Mountains and flows into the Columbia
-  Columbia River - flows into the Pacific Ocean
-  These two rivers led to the Pacific Ocean, which was a goal of the trip.
THE MISSOURI RIVER
-  Spent most of their beginning journey there - explored it as a route to get to the Pacific / FORT CLATSOP
-  Lewis and Clark spent nearly four rainy months here preparing for their return trip home to St. Louis.
FORT MANDAN
-  Where the Corps of Discovery spent their first Winter.
-  Sacagawea joined them here. / RETURN TRIP
-  Was shorter than the original trip out because:
-  They didn’t have to stop and record everything.
-  They knew where they were going because they had Clark’s maps
-  They were going with the current - downstream.
-  They already established relationships with native tribes they would encounter on the way home
-  Most of them really wanted to get home!
GREAT FALLS
-  Obstacle along the Missouri River / SACAGAWEA
-  Woman who was extremely helpful as a guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition
-  Helped them translate, as well as point out resources for food, and which resources to stay away from.
-  Also served as a symbol of peace to other Native Tribes the Corps of Discovery met along the way.
SHOSHONE
-  Provided horses and shelter for the Corps of Discovery / IMPORTANCE/ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-  Importance:
-  Napoleon did not become our neighbor (good thing)
-  Gained huge amounts of farmland
-  Secured control of the Mississippi River
-  Accomplishments:
-  Found the source of the Missouri River, met more than 50 Native tribes and discovered hundreds of new plants and animals.
-  Created maps of the area