USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -President Thomas Jefferson wanted the territory to secure the U.S. from threats from Great Britain, France, and Spain, who all still maintained territory west of the Mississippi and down to New Orleans, the most important port for southern international trade.

Detailed explanation-2: -When France offered to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States in 1803, Jefferson wanted to seize the opportunity to double the size of the nation and to provide future generations with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of new farmland.

Detailed explanation-3: -Why was control of the Mississippi River important to the United States? Western farmers relied heavily on the Mississippi River to transport their wheat and corn. Spain control the New Orleans Port which was vital in the transportation of goods.

Detailed explanation-4: -New Orleans was a port city with stores of supplies that could be seized. Control of the Mississippi River would have given the British the upper hand in the war. They would have controlled waterways throughout the Louisiana Territory as well as the Port of New Orleans and access to the Gulf of Mexico.

Detailed explanation-5: -Acquisition of Louisiana was a long-term goal of President Thomas Jefferson, who was especially eager to gain control of the crucial Mississippi River port of New Orleans.