CHAPTER 1 AN IMPORTANT PORT In the 1790s trade was a major part of the US economy At this time most goods were sent by boat So the country needed cities with ports or places where ships can load and unload goods The city of New Orleans was especially important New Orleans is on the Mississippi River It also borders the Gulf of Mexico Many ships brought goods to and from the city of New Orleans 5
Many farmers and merchants in the United States put their goods on boats The boats traveled down the Mississippi River They ended up in New Orleans RIVERS IN NORTH AMERICA YELLOWSTONE ROCKY Mountains MISSOURI MISSISSIPPI SIONI771 ARKANSAS CUMBERLAND MISSISSIPPI APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS RED LOUISIANA TERRITORY UNITED STATES NEW ORLEANS GULF OF MEXICO a
From there some goods could be shipped to other parts of the country Other goods were sent around the world However New Orleans was not part of the United States It was part of the Louisiana Territory This vast area of land stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains And it belonged to Spain In 1795 the United States signed a treaty with Spain The treaty allowed US ships to enter New Orleans However the treaty expired in 1798 and the Spanish government chose not to renew it That meant US ships could no longer use the city's port
