History of America BUILDING AN EMPIRE The Louisiana Purchase Written by Linda Thompson Rourke Educational Media rourkeeducationalmedia com Scan for Related Titles and Teacher Resources
Chapter 1 Louisiana The New Territory Only 20 years after it became independent the United States suddenly and owing to a tremendous stroke of luck doubled in size Fifty years later the young country stretched across immense plains and towering mountain ranges to touch the Pacific Ocean How it grew so fast in such a short time is still an amazing tale Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 was the third President of the United States 4
By far the largest growth spurt of the United States occurred in 1803 when President Thomas Jefferson’s bold decision doubled the country’s size The Louisiana Purchase the new territory acquired by the U S reached from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains a total of about 828,00 square miles 2,144,354 square kilometers of land The Louisiana Territory had been largely unexplored until after its purchase by the United States 5
