Thomas Jefferson was looking for ways to expand US territory. It was bought for 15 million dollars by the French which would be worth 342 million dollars today.
Stephen Long
Of Lewis and Clark's 8,000 mile journey only 123 miles was spent in Kansas. They described it as "Great beauty...variety of game...deer seemed plentiful...abundance of wild raspberries."
Jackson's Speech
Zebulon Pike was the first American to travel by land. He described it desert like. His description of the land could start a debate.
Indian Removal Act
Stephen Long traveled by steamboat and labeled the map to make Kansas "The Great American Desert." The view of Kansas as a desert has stuck with people.
Jackson said that no American should ever have to travel through the Great American Desert.
They forced East American Indians to relocate to Kansas. The Louisiana Purchase doubles the size of the United States. Many of the tribes found the new living conditions to be difficult.