Lesson 3: Looking Westward

Lesson Focus

Explore Jefferson's difficult decision to purchase the Louisiana Territory. This pivotal act doubled the nation's size, fueling westward expansion and increasing tensions with Native Americans.

People to Know

Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sacajawea, Tecumseh

Learning Objectives

• Understand the immense significance of the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States.
• Identify the reasons for growing conflict between Native Americans and the U.S. government as settlers pushed westward.

The U.S. feared France's ruler, Napoleon, would block American trade at the vital port of New Orleans after gaining control of the Louisiana region in 1800.
However, a successful slave rebellion in Haiti led by Toussaint L'Ouverture ruined Napoleon's plans for an American empire.
As a result, in 1803, France sold the entire Louisiana Territory to the U.S. for $15 million, doubling the nation's size despite President Jefferson's belief in strict construction of the Constitution.

After the Louisiana Purchase, the vast new territory was completely unknown.
President Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an expedition from 1804 to 1806. Aided by their crew, including York, and their Shoshone guide, Sacajawea, they mapped a route to the Pacific.
Their journey provided immense scientific knowledge, strengthened U.S. claims to the Oregon region, and inspired future pioneers to move west.

The Louisiana Purchase caused some New England Federalists to fear losing political power, so they planned to secede from the Union.
They allied with Vice President Aaron Burr, but his rival, Alexander Hamilton, worked to stop him. This led to a duel in 1804 where Burr killed Hamilton.
Burr was later tried for treason for a separate western conspiracy but was acquitted, ending his political career and showing deep national divisions.

American settlers' demand for land led to increasing pressure on Native Americans.
Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory forced tribes to give up their lands through treaties. In response, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh organized a confederation of tribes to resist this expansion.
In 1811, Harrison attacked and defeated Tecumseh's followers at the Battle of Tippecanoe, shattering the dream of a unified Native American resistance in the Ohio Valley.

The Louisiana Purchase dramatically expanded the United States but also created new conflicts.
While the Lewis and Clark expedition opened the West to American settlement, this expansion directly threatened Native American nations. This led to organized resistance by leaders like Tecumseh.
Note that westward movement also deepened political rivalries, as shown by Aaron Burr's conspiracies, setting the stage for future national challenges over territory and power.