In 1803, the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. This was called the Louisiana Purchase. As a result of the Louisiana Purchase,

President Thomas Jefferson sent out Merriweather Lewis and William Clark on an expedition to explore the land that more than doubled the United States at the time. He wanted to know if the land he purchased had any value and what kind of plant life, animals, and resources were out west.

Parts of mexico split