Purchasing the New Land
When France offered it's land in the Louisiana territory for $15 million Jefferson could not resist the offer. That much land for that small amount of money was incredible. He also wanted to explore what was out there and try to get to the Northwest passage. The Northwest passage was a land between the northern coast of North America and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Back then it was undiscovered and believed to be a quicker route for trading. Jefferson was very interested in this land and right after he bought it he put together the Corps of Discovery.
http://www.dirtycoast.com/store/detail/881/Louisiana-Purchase
Corps of Discovery
The Corps of Discovery was a group of 45 explorers going to explore the new land and travel to the Northwest Passage. Their instructions were to go on an expedition and discover new plants and animals, get to the Northwest passage then come back with souvenirs and tell every one about their journey. The two leaders of this expedition were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. This expedition was a huge success.
|
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corps_of_Discovery .