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THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE: A LIVING TIME LINE
THEME
In the study of American history, the Louisiana Purchase looms large--and
for good reason. Simply put, in 1803 during Thomas Jefferson's presidency,
the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory west of the
Mississippi River from Napoleon Bonaparte's France. The United States
paid fifteen million dollars for 820,000 square miles-roughly three
cents an acre. With the stroke of a pen, our young nation nearly
doubled in size.
Although the Louisiana Purchase may be summarized simply, in reality,
it was a very complex story filled with intrigue and suspense. Since
the details would be excessive for this age group, this lesson is
designed to help students identify the principal players and put
the crucial events into chronological perspective. It also calls
upon students to view history from the perspective of others-in
this case, American Indians whose lifestyles were disrupted by the
Louisiana Purchase.
GOALS
- To present the complex issues leading up to the Louisiana Purchase
in ways comprehensible to elementary school students.
- To clarify how the Louisiana Purchase is connected to the Lewis
and Clark Expedition.
- To examine the viewpoints of American Indians and non-Indian
Americans in regard to the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and
Clark Expedition.
OBJECTIVES: When the lesson is completed, students will
be able to:
- List six to eight major events in chronological order leading
up to the Louisiana Purchase.
- Briefly explain the connection between the Lewis and Clark Expedition
and the Louisiana Purchase.
- Defend an opposing viewpoint-if you are an American Indian,
defend the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
If you are not an American Indian, defend the Indian viewpoint
of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
ADVANCE PREPARATIONS
- Preview the contents and teaching aids for this unit by clicking
on the following capitalized titles: The INTRODUCTION
provides an overview of the unit's contents and organization.
The Lesson Plan and Activity entitled PARDON
ME, MR. TALLEYRAND, BUT DID YOU SAY THE "WHOLE" OF LOUISIANA?
is a drama about the Louisiana Purchase that may be performed
simply or elaborately as time and resources allow. The drama is
recommended for older elementary classes as shown on the Venn
diagram. The Lesson Plan and Activity entitled THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE:
A LIVING TIME LINE contains less detail and is recommended for
younger elementary students. Both provide opportunities for students
to understand the major characters and events involved in the
Louisiana Purchase. Be sure to look over the supplemental materials
also. The GLOSSARY AND PRONUNCIATION GUIDE provides assistance
with names and terms associated with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
TEACHING AIDS "G" presents
Internet and library sources for studying the Louisiana Purchase
in more detail. Finally, the EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
AND MULTIPLE-INTELLIGENCES CHARTS E, F, G contain educational
standards and multiple-intelligences goals fulfilled by this unit.
- Obtain a wall map of the United States with the Louisiana Territory
outlined.
- Download PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
and cut apart.
- Download LOUISIANA PURCHASE
WORKSHEET and make a copy for each student.
IMPLEMENTATION
(Begin by reviewing the basic facts about the Louisiana Purchase
with your students, using the map as you proceed.)
Today we will begin working on a "living time line" about
the Louisiana Purchase. I'll tell you what that means later. The
first thing we must do is divide the class into groups. Each group
will represent a major character in the Louisiana Purchase story.
(There are eleven characters to be represented. If the class
is small, some students may work individually. After the groups
are divided, a member in each group draws one of the Principal Character
slips from a bag. The slips also contain research questions about
that character's part in the Louisiana Purchase. Hand each student
a copy of the Louisiana Purchase worksheet and go over the instructions
printed on it.)
PRESENTATION
A narrator, selected by the teacher, introduces the presentation.
Groups select one of their members to represent their character.
Those students come to the front of the room (or stage) one at a
time in chronological order to present their information. Students
carry placards with their characters' names and titles printed on
them. Since this is a time line, the placard must also display an
important date or dates associated with that person. Students also
may wear costumes or carry props. Using first person, each participant
briefly relates what his or her group learned about its character.
After students finish speaking, they remain on stage so that at
the end of the presentation, they form a "living time line."
The narrator concludes the presentation with a brief statement to
this effect: "There were many joyous celebrations across America
when the news about the Louisiana Purchase spread westward. However,
the story does not end there. In the years that followed, the addition
of the Louisiana Territory was good for some, but not for others."
A student with a placard reading AMERICAN INDIANS OF THE WEST, 1803-2003
comes on stage. This student explains how westward expansion after
the Louisiana Purchase was an unhappy time for Western Indian tribes.
However, since that time, America has become a united and strong
country. Many American Indian tribes have willingly joined with
non-Indian groups to commemorate the Lewis and Clark and Louisiana
Purchase Bicentennial Commemorations beginning in 2003.
TIME SAVER FOR TEACHERS: Brief summaries about the principal characters
of the Louisiana Purchase are given below in chronological order.
The research questions for this activity (printed on the Principal
Character slips) are based on these summaries.
French explorer La Salle and his crew explored much of the
Mississippi River. In 1682, at the mouth of the river, La Salle
claimed all the territory drained by the Mississippi River for France.
The boundaries were vague, but roughly the territory reached from
the Appalachian Mountains on the east to the Rocky Mountains on
the west, and from Canada on the North to the Gulf of Mexico on
the south. La Salle named the territory Louisiana for King Louis
XIV of France.
King Louis XIV was an absolute monarch who believed God
had chosen him to be king. King Louis had mixed feelings when French
explorer La Salle claimed Louisiana for France and named it for
him. He realized the addition of the Louisiana Territory would greatly
enhance France's colonial empire. On the other hand, he knew defending
and colonizing it would cost a lot of money. The French treasury
was already in bad shape due to the many wars in which France was
involved. Of course, that didn't stop King Louis from spending money
on other things. For instance, he built an enormous Palace at Versailles
near Paris and lived the good life there for many years before his
death in 1715.
King Louis XV, the great-grandson of Louis XIV, came to
the throne in 1715 at the age of five. During his reign, France
lost most of its colonial possessions in North America to the British.
In the peace treaty of 1763, Britain was awarded the Louisiana Territory
east of the Mississippi River. A year earlier, to keep Britain from
getting the western part, King Louis XV gave it to his cousin, King
Charles III of Spain.
King Charles III of Spain came to France's aid in wars against
the British. Unfortunately, Spain lost some of its own valuable
colonial territories when Britain won. To keep the British from
getting West Louisiana (and to compensate King Charles for his losses),
King Louis XV secretly gave the territory to Spain in 1762. King
Charles was not too thrilled about the deal because he was already
having problems defending and maintaining Spain's far-flung colonial
possessions in North America. Later he decided it was a good deal
because it provided a buffer zone between Spain's colonies and those
of the British.
Napoleon Bonaparte, a young military genius, restored order
of a sort in France after the chaos of the French Revolution. He
was only twenty-eight years old when he forcibly took over the government
in 1799. During the next few years, he brought a great deal of Europe
under his rule. As his power grew, so did his ambitions, and he
began to dream about regaining France's colonial possessions in
North America. In 1800, he made a secret deal with Spain (the Treaty
of San Ildefonso) to take back the Louisiana Territory. He also
began sending troops to the French West Indies in the Caribbean
Sea.
Thomas Jefferson became president of the United States in
1801. He wanted to know what lay out in the west not only because
he was a curious intellectual, but also because he believed it would
someday become part of the United States. In a secret message to
Congress in January, 1803 he asked that body to fund a western expedition
to be led by his secretary, Meriwether Lewis. He didn't want Spain
to know about it because they controlled West Louisiana where the
expedition would be traveling. Congress agreed and Lewis began planning
the expedition.
By 1802, the secret had leaked out that France had regained the
Louisiana Territory. To make matters worse, Spain closed the Port
of New Orleans so that frontier farmers and traders could not store
their products there before shipping them to market. Even though
Napoleon had nothing to do with this act, many Americans blamed
him and wanted to go to war with France. To avoid war Jefferson
sent a message to Ambassador Robert Livingston in Paris. He wanted
Livingston to discourage France from taking over Louisiana, but
if that didn't work, to try to buy New Orleans and Florida. A short
time later he sent another ambassador, James Monroe, to help Livingston.
Robert Livingston tried to carry out his instructions, but
the French foreign minister, Talleyrand, made the task very difficult.
Talleyrand, a wealthy aristocrat, was vain and corrupt. He was often
very discourteous but Ambassador Livingston continued to do his
duty. At a meeting with Talleyrand on April 11, 1803, Talleyrand
asked Livingston if the United States would consider buying the
entire Louisiana territory as well as New Orleans and Florida-and
if so, what would they be willing to pay for it? Livingston was
astonished. He said he had not thought of such a thing, but he would
discuss it with Ambassador James Monroe, who had just arrived from
America.
James Monroe was also astonished when he heard the news.
He and Livingston thought Talleyrand might be bluffing until they
learned from a reliable source that Napoleon might decide to sell
Louisiana at any moment. Even though the two ambassadors were not
authorized to buy the entire Louisiana Territory, there wasn't time
to consult President Jefferson back in Washington. Monroe talked
it over with Livingston and together they decided to buy Louisiana
if Napoleon offered to sell it.
Barbe-Marbois was the French Minister of Finance in 1803.
He was also one of Napoleon's closest advisors. He convinced Napoleon
that selling Louisiana was a good thing because the cost of defending
and maintaining it was more than the profit to be made from it.
Besides, Napoleon was preparing for war against England and a great
deal of money would be needed for the military operations. On April
10, 1803 Napoleon decided to sell Louisiana. He put Barbe-Marbois
in charge of negotiations instead of Talleyrand. After many weary
days of bargaining, a deal was finally made in which the United
States agreed to pay fifteen million dollars for the Louisiana Territory
including New Orleans. The contract was dated April 30, 1803 but
it was not signed officially until May 2.
(Livingston immediately sent the sensational news across the Atlantic
to Jefferson. To make sure the news and documents arrived safely,
three messengers were sent on three different ships. Jefferson received
the news on July 3, 1803.)
Meriwether Lewis was in Washington when the news about the
Louisiana Purchase arrived. Lewis was delighted with the news for
it meant much of his exploring would be done in his own country.
It was now his duty to tell the Western Indian tribes that the United
States controlled the Louisiana Territory and that the Great Chief
resided in Washington D. C. In the fall of 1803, he sailed down
the Ohio River and picked up his friend, William Clark, in Indiana.
From there they traveled to St. Louis to spend the winter. On March
10, 1804 Lewis witnessed the ceremony in St. Louis that transferred
Upper Louisiana to the United States of America.
CONCLUSION
Now that we have learned the facts about the people and events that
led to the Louisiana Purchase, let's talk about what it meant in
terms of human lives. Who stood to gain and who stood to lose from
this momentous event? (Engage students in a discussion about what
the Louisiana Purchase meant to different groups of people in America.
Stress the idea that many historical events, such as the Louisiana
Purchase, may be advantageous for one group but not for another.
Challenge students to think of other similar examples from history
or current events.)
FOLLOW UP SUGGESTIONS
- Present the Living Time Line for other classes or for parents
and friends. You might even want to videotape it.
- After the presentation, fasten the placards together to form
a folding panorama about the Louisiana Purchase. For Instructions
on how to make a folding panorama, see Unit K, A
LEWIS AND CLARK FESTIVAL.
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