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Spanish
Control
In 1762, France ceded
Louisiana, which included Missouri, to Spain. The
Spanish then closed the Mississippi River to American
settlers in an attempt to lesson the threat of their
presence. Eventually, in hopes the settlers would
convert to Catholicism, the area would be re-opened
to settlement. The Spanish believed they could weaken
the American west by taking its settlers. A group
of seventy men, led by Colonel George Morgan, took
up Spain's offer and moved into Spanish territory
to found New Madrid. The settlement was active in
the beginning with settlers planting crops and building
houses. This settlement did not last long because
of pressure from the Spanish to convert. Morgan
quit the project, and most of the settlers followed
him. Spain was not able to draw the settlers as
it had hoped. Spain's grip on Louisiana continued
to weaken until eventually becoming unworthy of
the effort required. When Napoleon Bonaparte showed
interest in re-establishing the French presence
in North America, the Spanish made a deal. The French
offered to expand the Italian province of Tuscany
into the Kingdom of Urturia and give it to the Duke
of Parma, who was the husband of the Spanish princess.
In return, France would take Louisiana. The agreement
would become finalized in the clandestine Treaty
of Ildefonso in 1800.
American
Control
The slave revolt on
the island of Saint Domingue (Haiti) overthrew French
rule destroying Napoleon's vision of French dominance
in North America. With the loss of Saint Dominque,
Napoleon's plan was ruined and he soon wanted to
get rid of Louisiana Territory. Thomas Jefferson
heard of the overthrow and sent Robert R. Livingston
to Paris to negotiate for New Orleans, but Napoleon
refused. Jefferson then sent Secretary of State,
James Monroe, to France to assist in negotiations,
but just days before Monroe arrived Napoleon would
offer all of Louisiana to Livingston for fifteen
million dollars. On April 30, 1803 the Louisiana
Purchase would make Louisiana part of the United
States. This purchase of 828,000 square miles nearly
doubled the size of the United States. The purchase
consisted of land west of the Mississippi River
to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Gulf of Mexico
to Canada.
A few months later,
on June 20th, President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether
Lewis a letter explaining his mission to explore
the land from the Missouri River to the Pacific
Ocean. Lewis, and his partner, William Clark, were
sent to explore and map this new territory. On May
14, 1804, Lewis, Clark, and a crew of 45 men left
St. Louis in three boats. They traveled from Missouri
to Oregon and back again. Only about half of the
men stayed on for the entire journey; some headed
back early with maps and specimens to show President
Jefferson. One man, Charles Floyd died in Iowa of
unknown causes. Lewis and Clark would be joined
by the Native American woman, Sacagawea, in North
Dakota. Bringing along her infant son, she acted
as an interpreter on the expedition. The journey
took two years, four months and ten days. The team
covered over 8,000 miles and were the first white
men to document the grizzly bear and the prairie
dog.
The population of
Louisiana Territory increased dramatically after
American acquisition, with Upper Louisiana boasting
over 20,000 residents by 1810.
The War
of 1812
In Missouri, the war
was mainly fought with the Indians. Missourians
were upset with the British for supplying the Indians
with guns and enticing them towards violence against
American settlers and traders. Discord between the
settlers and Indians caused the governor to call
out the Missouri Militia. The vigorous use of the
militia held the Indians west of the Mississippi
preventing the British from obtaining united support
from any one tribe. In 1814, General Dodge and 350
horsemen marched into western Missouri to protect
the scattered settlements. Warfare in Missouri did
not end immediately with the treaty of Ghent between
the United States and Great Britain; warfare between
Indian tribes continued for years.
Some Missouri soldiers
include: Major Henry Dodge, who later became a general,
Alexander McNair, who later became governor of Missouri,
Major Nathan Boone, and Lieutenant Colonel Daniel
M. Boone.
Statehood
The push for statehood
began in 1818 when territorial delegate, John Scott,
presented a petition to Congress asking for statehood.
For the next three years Missouri statehood dominated
American politics. The debate would be whether or
not slavery should be allowed in territories and
new states. At the time Missouri was seeking statehood,
there was an equal number of free states versus
slave states, creating a political balance. Because
of this situation a compromise had to be met. The
Missouri Compromise was proposed by Illinois senator,
Jesse B. Thomas. He suggested that an amendment
admitting Maine to the Union as a free state be
added to the Missouri Statehood bill. He also proposed
that slavery should be prohibited north of the 36°
30' line. After some debate, Thomas' plan was accepted,
and Missouri would be admitted into the Union in
1821 as the 24th state. |
