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Lewis and Clark: The Louisiana Purchase

Related Article: Learn more about American westward expansion.

After purchasing the Louisiana Territory, President Thomas Jefferson appointed his friend Meriwether Lewis to explore the new lands. Lewis chose William Clark to be co-leader of the expedition.
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Colonizing the US West: North US Land

Colonizing the US West: North US Land (1:42)

In the late 1700s, Spain, Britain, Russia, and the United States were all trying to expand their control of western North America.

Colonizing the US West: Spanish North America

Colonizing the US West: Spanish North America (2:15)

Students learn about Spain’s colonization of the southwest, including the creation of Spanish missions to spread the empire’s control.

Colonizing the US West: Spanish Missions

Colonizing the US West: Spanish Missions (9:31)

La Purisima Concepcion is an example of a typical Spanish mission in California. Learn about life on the mission 200 years ago and the roles of the padres and American Indians.

Colonizing the US West: The Louisiana Purchase

Colonizing the US West: The Louisiana Purchase (1:45)

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson almost doubled the size of the United States by purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France.

Colonizing the US West: Russians Move South

Colonizing the US West: Russians Move South (2:02)

Students learn about Russia’s efforts to expand its colonial holdings southward in North America from Alaska into the Pacific Northwest.

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Pioneer Spirit: Review of the Oregon Series

Pioneer Spirit: Review of the Oregon Series (1:12)

Review what you've learned about expansion into the Oregon territory by watching this video.

Pioneer Spirit: The Oregon Treaty

Pioneer Spirit: The Oregon Treaty (1:55)

The Oregon Treaty of 1846 granted America what is today Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The treaty also averted a war with Britain.

Pioneer Spirit: Missionaries and the American West

Pioneer Spirit: Missionaries and the American West (2:36)

During the 1800s, missionaries settled in Oregon in order to convert Native Americans to Christianity. While these efforts were mostly unsuccessful, news of Oregon’s beauty and fertile soil drew settlers.

Pioneer Spirit: Mountain Men and Western Exploration

Pioneer Spirit: Mountain Men and Western Exploration (6:15)

European settlers looking for independence flocked to the Oregon territory; they came to be known as “mountain men.” The fur trade was the economic engine of the region.

Pioneer Spirit: Program Overview

Pioneer Spirit: Program Overview (0:34)

This clip introduces the program series on the Oregon territory.

Trail to Riches: A Review of the California Gold Rush

Trail to Riches: A Review of the California Gold Rush (0:55)

During the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, Americans populated Western lands which were not yet states.

Trail to Riches: The Gold Rush and Western Expansion

Trail to Riches: The Gold Rush and Western Expansion (0:49)

During the initial Gold Rush, nearly 100,000 people immigrated to California in search of quick riches. The mass movement populated the West, but few found fortunes.

Trail to Riches: The Gold Rush and Native Americans

Trail to Riches: The Gold Rush and Native Americans (6:24)

As California’s Gold Rush waned, gold was found in Montana, South Dakota and the Southwest. The South Dakota Gold Rush led to a brutal war against the local Native Americans.

Trail to Riches: California and Statehood

Trail to Riches: California and Statehood (2:51)

Under the Compromise of 1850, California became a free state--a state without slaves. Another stipulation of the agreement, however, was the federal Fugitive Slave Act, which required the recovery of all fugitive slaves.

Trail to Riches: Gold Fever

Trail to Riches: Gold Fever (4:56)

By mid-June 1848, 75 percent of all the men in San Francisco were there to pan for gold. People from all over the United States headed for California in 1849 but didn’t arrive until after 1850; surface gold was already exhausted by then.