Just because settlers moved into a new area, that did not make the land officially part of the United States. Thus, as people moved west, the American government was also looking west to expand the borders of the new nation. For many years Thomas Jefferson had dreamed of exploring the vast territory between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. As president, Jefferson also knew that if America was to expand and prosper it would need the Mississippi River as a vital artery of commerce. He sent James Madison to help negotiate a deal with Napoleon, the emperor of France, who owned the Louisiana territory. In April 1803 the deal was struck. America got Louisiana, the entire Mississippi Valley, and New Orleans for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase not only doubled the size of the United States but also made it almost inevitable that America would expand its...