The Louisiana Purchase of 1803

The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was the first significant land acquisition in American history, and was also the largest in American history. Doubling the size of the country, the Louisiana Purchase proved vital in the idea of expansion and manifest destiny. The land itself will be utilized and explored, and will provide major economic opportunity for generations, even to this day.

Using a spider map, students will be able to examine the significance of the Louisiana Purchase by answering the 5 W's, who, what, when, where, and why. This activity can serve as both a great introduction for students as well as a way to review at the end of the unit.

Extended Activity

Have students create a spider map for one or more current day states that presently exist in what was once the unexplored Louisiana Territory. Students should identify factual information about the state like population, laws, economic functions, and history. This will allow students to make current event connections to one of the earliest land acquisitions in American history.