In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson guided a splendid piece of foreign diplomacy through the U.S. Senate: the purchase of Louisiana territory from France. Jefferson initiated an exploration of the newly purchased land and in the West.
Thomas Jefferson achieved his program in the West through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which doubled the size of the United States. This acquisition was motivated by the need for agricultural land and control over trade routes, despite constitutional concerns. Jefferson also initiated the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the newly purchased territory and its potential.
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