The Lewis and Clark expedition followed which major territorial acquisition?

The Lewis and Clark expedition followed which major territorial acquisition?

• A. The Proclamation of 1763
• B. The Louisiana Purchase
• C. The Oregon Treaty
• D. The Northwest Ordinance

Answer: (B)

Exploration was driven by the Louisiana Purchase, the 1803 sale that doubled the size of the United States by adding a vast western territory from France. President Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark in 1804 to map these lands, study their geography and resources, and establish an American presence as the nation organized and explored this new frontier. This purchase created the real land base for their journey, making it the major acquisition they followed. The other events are separate moments in history: the Proclamation of 1763 restricted colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains and came long before this purchase; the Northwest Ordinance (1787) organized governance for lands north and west of the Ohio River but did not represent a new acquisition; and the Oregon Treaty (1846) settled a later border with Britain in the Pacific Northwest, after Lewis and Clark had already completed their expedition.

Exploration was driven by the Louisiana Purchase, the 1803 sale that doubled the size of the United States by adding a vast western territory from France. President Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark in 1804 to map these lands, study their geography and resources, and establish an American presence as the nation organized and explored this new frontier. This purchase created the real land base for their journey, making it the major acquisition they followed.

The other events are separate moments in history: the Proclamation of 1763 restricted colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains and came long before this purchase; the Northwest Ordinance (1787) organized governance for lands north and west of the Ohio River but did not represent a new acquisition; and the Oregon Treaty (1846) settled a later border with Britain in the Pacific Northwest, after Lewis and Clark had already completed their expedition.