Dedicated to Miss Kuckelman's 8th Grade Class 

The United States wanted to fulfill its Manifest Destiny and expand westward, but no opportunity came until the Louisiana Purchase. 

Napoleon had big plans for Louisiana. He wanted to settle there and make France expand its empire across North America. 

However, Napoleon was at war with Great Britain and realized

 he couldn't fight two wars at the same time.

Napoleon offered the united States all of the Louisiana territory in order to prevent war with them for $15  million.

Originally, Jefferson only wanted New Orleans so the United States could control trade on the Mississippi, but since all of Louisiana was offered, he bought the whole thing.