In 1801, the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for fifteen million dollars. People in the United States were upset at the high purchase price, but this turned out to be one of the smartest deals the United States ever made. President Jefferson initiated an exploration of this new land, to be led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Lewis and Clark set sail near St. Louis, following the Missouri River. On their trip they visited remote settlements, learned more about the American Indians, and experienced the wonders of Yellowstone. After reaching the Pacific Ocean, they returned to St. Louis. It took them two years and four months to undertake this monumental journey. Their expedition was a complete success.
Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson's Vice President, was a charismatic and ambitious lawyer and politician. His reputation and career were ruined after killing his rival, Alexander Hamilton, in a duel. He colluded with foreign nations to overthrow the rule in the Spanish territories of Florida and the West Indies, the Louisiana Territory, and Mexico. Many in the United States, knowing only of his plans to take the territories of Florida and the West Indies from Spain, believed he was a patriot. But Burr only worked for his own benefit. By lying and omission, he built up his forces, the recruits believing they would be fighting Spain. The government in Washington grew suspicious of Aaron Burr's plans. He was eventually charged of treason, but the jury found him not guilty. When the judge refused to free him, Burr attempted to flee. Burr was placed on trial again for wanting to make war against the United States, but this jury also found him not guilty of treason. Burr was freed, and he went to England and France, eventually returning to the United States for the remainder of his life.
The Barbary pirates plagued the merchant vessels of the Mediterranean Sea, stealing cargo and selling captured sailors as slaves. The pirates were named for the places they lived, the Barbary States of Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli. Rich European nations paid bribes to the pirates to protect their crews while leaving the pirates unscathed to attack smaller rivals. The United States followed suit, paying the pirates to leave American vessels alone. However, conflict broke out when the Pasha of Tripoli declared war against the United States. America eventually made peace with the Pasha and continued to pay tribute. Conflict broke out again over the tribute payment amounts, and the Dey of Algiers ordered all American ships attacked. This was in 1812, and the pirates believed America was weakened from the war with England. Commodore Stephen Decatur set out from New York with ten vessels. Decatur won victories against the pirates, and eventually the pirates relented and signed peace treaties. Finally, American merchants could trade in peace, with an American squadron kept in the Mediterranean for protection.
Dr. Marcus Whitman was in charge of a missionary camp in the Oregon Territory, located in present-day Washington state. Dr. Whitman learned that the English and Canadians were headed their way to settle the lands and claim ownership before the United States. Dr. Whitman and Amos L. Lovejoy set out on a journey on horseback across America, through American Indian territory, over great rivers and mountain ranges, and through the depths of winter to reach Washington D.C. and warn American leadership of the threat. However, the politicians were polite, but disinterested in Dr. Whitman's news. Next, Dr. Whitman went to the American Missionary Board in Boston for help, but they scolded him for leaving his post in Oregon Territory. While Dr. Whitman attempted to warn American leadership, Lovejoy was gathering up a group of settlers to make the trip back west. The Hudson's Bay Company tried to dissuade the new settlers from accompanying Whitman, as more people settling Oregon Territory threatened the fur trade, but failed. Whitman and the nearly thousand pioneers made it to Oregon territory and settled there. Dr. Whitman's successful venture convinced the American politicians that Oregon could be reached by wagons, and spurred messages to England claiming the land for America.
Joseph Smith founded the Mormon religion, also called the 'Latter-Day Saints,' in 1830. Joseph Smith is referred to as 'The Prophet,' by the Mormon people, who believe he is a prophet from God. Persecuted by non-Mormons, Mormons tried to find a place to settle. They founded a city called Nauvoo in Illinois along the Mississippi River. People came from all over, including Europe, to join the Mormons. A shooting blamed on Joseph Smith, a series of newspaper articles written by an ex-Mormon, and an incident involving the destruction of a printing press, made the Mormons even more disliked. Smith was arrested for treason along with his brother, Hyrum. Joseph Smith and Hyrum were assassinated while in jail. Tensions rose between the non-Mormons and Mormons. Brigham Young, the new leader of the Mormons, said that the whole church would start for some place beyond the Rocky Mountains. After a long trail of hardships, the Mormons made their new home and created the town of Salt Lake City, Utah. Many Mormons make Salt Lake City their home today.
In 1848, John A. Sutter's workmen were building a sawmill in California, where they found some shining yellow flakes in the soil along the American River. They brought the yellow dust to Sutter and determined they'd found gold. When people heard news far and wide, they rushed to the American River to strike it rich for themselves. Those who sought gold were called Forty-niners, after the year 1849. Some people made thousands of dollars ($1 in 1849 is equivalent to around $33 in 2020). Some expanded their searches to other rivers and were rewarded. Not all struck it rich, however, the gold rush changed California forever, accelerating the process of settling the western United States and California. In three years, California's population grew from 2,000 to 80,000. Railroads were constructed to reach it, enabling even more settlers to travel west.
Seeking to make a trade treaty with Japan, Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry brought a letter from the President of the United States, Millard Fillmore, to the Emperor of Japan. Up until this point, Japan preferred isolation from the rest of the world. Commodore Perry demonstrated what the Japanese people would gain in trade, showing the American inventions of rifles, clocks, stoves, sewing machines, agricultural tools, and other items. After many months and games of diplomacy, and despite the threat of trade competition from Russia and France, Commodore Perry secured the treaty on March 31, 1854.
Off the coast of Washington state and positioned between the territories of the English and the Americans, the island of San Juan was in dispute. Mr. Griffiths' pigs, owned by the English Hudson's Bay Company, overran the whole island of San Juan, including the fields and gardens of his American neighbor, Mr. Hubbs. Mr. Hubbs grew frustrated and threatened to shoot the pigs if they trespassed on his land again. Mr. Hubbs again found a pig eating the vegetables in his garden, and shot the English pig. Outraged by the killing, Mr. Griffiths brought his case to officers of the British Government and obtained a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Hubbs. Mr. Hubbs refused to honor the British warrant and asked the United States military for help. A company of American soldiers was sent to San Juan to protect Mr. Hubbs. In response, the English sent a group of British regulars to the island. Eventually, America and England sought a neutral third party, Germany, to settle the dispute. San Juan was given to the United States, and the British left San Juan. San Juan Island is still a part of the United States, in part thanks to a rogue pig.
John Brown fought slavery in Kansas and later helped slaves escape their masters via the Underground Railroad. He wanted to do more, so he decided to raid the Southern territory to free slaves. Harper's Ferry was a mountain pass that the slaves to the south looked at as the gateway to freedom. It was also home to a United States arsenal of weapons. John Brown, his sons, and followers rented a farm and cabins near Harper's Ferry. There, he and his followers gathered supplies and plotted their attack to raid the arsenal and free the slaves. He hatched his plot in October of 1859. He successfully took the arsenal and began freeing slaves. Some of the freed slaves were armed and joined their cause. News of the raid spread through the countryside. Opposing forces gathered and marched on Harper's Ferry. Both sides lost many people, and two of John Brown's sons were killed. More troops arrived, including Colonel Robert E. Lee (future American Civil War Confederate General) with marines. The troops overtook John Brown's fighters. John Brown was convicted of treason and hanged as a traitor. As time progressed, John Brown was seen less and less as a traitor, and more as a martyr to the great cause of eliminating slavery. In death, John Brown served as an inspiration to Union troops. A song called 'John Brown's Body' was written by the Union troops and became a famous Union marching song during the American Civil War.
Many sea captains tried and failed to find the Northwest passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Some disappeared into the icy sea with their crews forever, such as Sir John Franklin. Many expeditions tried in vain to find out what happened to Sir John Franklin and his crew. One group of young Americans set out to find the truth. Asking questions of the Eskimos they met and following in the footsteps of Franklin's group, the Americans gradually pieced together the story of what had happened to Franklin and his people.
Alaska can be a harsh and dangerous land, but enterprising individuals ventured there in search of sealskins and gold. When gold was discovered, Spain made the claim that all unexplored lands belonged to them and sent an exploring party to map the northwest. However, the Spanish found the country was already claimed by the Russians. In 1867, the United States bought Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million dollars. In 1897, a ship returned from Alaska with the news that large quantities of gold were found on the Klondike River. The old days of the Forty-niners in California were rekindled as people rushed to the Klondike in search of their fortunes. As with California, this accelerated the exploration and settlement of the Alaskan land.
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