Corps of Discovery

Corps of Discovery

(1804-1806) Team of adventurers, led by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, who were sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Territory and find a water route to the Pacific. Louis and Clark brought back detailed accounts of the West's flora, fauna, and native populations and their voyage demonstrated the viability of overland travel to the west.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 - The U.S. purchased the land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains from Napoleon for $15 million. Jefferson was interested in the territory because it would give the U.S. the Mississippi River and New Orleans (both were valuable for trade and shipping) and also room to expand. Napoleon wanted to sell because he needed money for his European campaigns and because a rebellion against the French in Haiti had soured him on the idea of New World colonies. The Constitution did not give the federal government the power to buy land, so Jefferson used loose construction to justify the purchase.

Sacagawea

A Native American who led Lewis and Clark and helped protects them and serves as a translator.

Mississippi River

Before the Louisiana Purchase, this river was the border of America.