In 1803, the Louisiana Territory encompassed what is now at least part of _______ states in the United States. At the time, it was property of France, but Napoleon Bonaparte realized that his country could not control such a vast expanse of land. Thanks in part to a slave revolt in their colony of _______ , France looked for a solution to their potential Louisiana problem. At the same time in the Untied States, President _______ hoped to secure the U.S.’s possession of the city of _______ at the mouth of ________ the with access to the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. was prepared to offer France ________ for the city, but instead, France sold the entire Louisiana Territory for that amount. The U.S. quickly agreed, and in a a matter of weeks the U.S. more-than _________ in land area.
To better evaluate what his country had just purchased, the President sent explorers __________ Lewis, _________ Clark, and their Corps of Discovery to explore the great expanse of the newly purchased land. Setting out westward from the city of ___________ , the Corps of discovery traveled mostly on the ________ though Nebraska, the Dakotas, and other present-day states. Lewis & Clark reached the _________ in November of 1805, stayed there for the winter, and set out on their return trip the following March. They were able to retrace their route and return to a _________ by late September of 1806.

Key Terms :
15 million, 150 million, George Washington, Gulf of Mexico, Haiti, Louis XIV, Meriweather, Mississippi River, Missouri River, New Orleans, Pacific Ocean, St, Louis, St. Louis, Thomas Jefferson, William, Doubled, 18, 15