Evaluating the Louisiana Purchase
—Roberta Conner, member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, 2006
In this lesson, you will examine the Louisiana Purchase and its impacts on the United States—both immediate and long term. You will investigate what led up to the signing of the Louisiana Purchase treaty, how it affected the status of the United States among world powers, and the impact it would have on the people who would come to the territory and on the Native Americans already living there.
You will be prompted to take notes, gather and analyze evidence, and organize this information in order to write an essay that answers the question:
Do you agree that the Louisiana Purchase was a “most splendid” event?
The Sauk and Fox Indians, living in the Louisiana territory that is present-day Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of the Mississippi River region, were two of the tribes that the Lewis and Clark expedition met. This painting is by Karl Bodmer (ca. 1833).
To help you answer that question, the lesson will focus on three aspects of the Louisiana Purchase:
- Why was Thomas Jefferson so eager to acquire the Louisiana territory?
- What were the terms of the Louisiana Purchase?
- What were the consequences of the Louisiana Purchase?
Calderwood Writing Course: U.S. History
