The above picture shows the Louisiana Purchase and the territory surrounding it
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana purchase was a deal in which America bought massive amounts of land from France in 1803. After Spain gave Louisiana and New Orleans to France, France banned American trade at New Orleans. People were afraid that war could develop if America did not purchase New Orleans and make sure America could trade through it. Thomas Jefferson sent a delegation to France to negotiate the purchase of the city, but they negotiated and came back with a deal to buy the entire Louisiana territory. America accepted and borrowed money from Britain to pay for it.
I believe this was one of the defining moments in American history, as it led to the expansion that made America a world power. It gave the U.S. an impotant seaport (New Orleans) and massively increased land area. This fueled the growth and expansionism of America, and eventually led to the "Manifest destiny".
This is a fun and informative video about the Louisiana Purchase
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZH5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EVIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5662,4750241&dq=louisiana+purchase&hl=en
An article about a Louisiana Purchase exposition
An article about a Louisiana Purchase exposition