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early 19th century

 When Jefferson purchased the Louisana territory from France he doubled the size of the nation and secured an important geographic location for the U.S. One of the most immediate challenges facing Jefferson was the area west of the Mississippi valley and New Orleans. New Orleans was the gate to the Gulf of Mexico, and the gulf was a crucial connection to the Atlantic ocean. Without control of this area trade, commerce, and the nations' economy would always be subject to a foreign power. Lewis and Clark set out in 1804 to investigate what Jefferson had bought. These men set out from St. Louis Missouri to cross the continent all the way to the Pacific ocean and record everything they encountered. Jefferson wanted maps drawn, raw materials, drawings of the landscape, and information regarding the natives. This expedition would result in Americas' quest for manifest destiny, westward expansion. The challenges the nation would ultimately face would include the issues regarding the Native Americans, protecting the American poineers, and maintaining law and order. These challenges would present the nation with many more questions than answers through out the 19th century.