Presented by: Mr. J. Quezada

Frederick Douglass High School

New York City, NY

Project SAVE

I NEED NEW ORLEANS

And THE MISSISSIPPI

Introduction:

In the late 1700s, America was approximately one-third the size that it is today. It was a young nation that was trying to find social, economic, and political stability while at the same time, establish international respectability, especially from our western neighbor - France. At that time, America’s western boundary was the Mississippi River and France controlled a vast amount of land to the West including the River itself. In 1802, access to the river was suspended which greatly jeopardize the livelihood of western farmers who used the River to transport their goods to American and foreign markets. Moreover, the Port of New Orleans was also a vital center. All imported and exported goods flowed through this point of entry. Without access to New Orleans and the Mississippi, westerners would starve and the hard won gains of the American Revolution would be lost. In fact, many believed America would cease being a country. Actual plans had been made for war if access to the Mississippi and New Orleans was lost. War with France would mean disaster for the fledgling nation. American warships had no chance against Napoleon’s forces.

Into this powder keg came Thomas Jefferson. The first Anti-Federalist to be elected president, made a fateful decision. He decided to offer Napoleon $10 million for New Orleans. Napoleon, who needed cash disparately to pay for his war with England, made Jefferson a counter offer. He asked for $15 million but would include all the Louisiana Territory as part of the purchase. Jefferson, switched his philosophy to one of a “loose constructionist”, invoked the “elastic clause” and bought the Louisiana Territory without congressional approval. Congress was not in session and Jefferson would have lost the deal had he waited.

In this web quest, you will evaluate the effectiveness of the Louisiana Purchase. You will become an American History Public Policy Analyst and an historian. Looking back, did Jefferson do the right thing? Was the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 a monumental presidential decision or one Jefferson would regret. It will be your task to find out. Good Luck.

PORT OF NEW ORLEANS

Task:

The class will be divided into groups as specified in the process. Each group will be responsible for TWO products in this web quest

PRODUCT # 1: WRITEN REPORT OF FIVE PAGES

The report will be typed using MS Word 12 font

Each report will include the AHPP (described in the process)

The Report must also include graphs, charts and pictures gotten from the Internet

And pasted into the report.

PRODUCT # 2: AN ORAL REPORT

The oral report will be a group endeavor

The report will be 10 minutes minimum in length

The presentation must be accompanied by illustrations, graphs, charts etc.

The AHPPA must be included in the oral presentation

Process:

To complete the two products, the class will be divided into groups of five. Each group member will have a specific responsibility but all members must work cooperatively in order to complete the task

GROUP RESPSONSIBILITIES

REPORT WRITER- This student will receive the American History Public Policy worksheets from the two researchers and create a written five page report. This student must also have knowledge of MS Word and include illustrations. He/She will work collaboratively with the oral presenters so each knows the content of the written segment. This will be made into an oral presentation. Remember, the writer must evaluate the policy of the purchase of Louisiana territory, taking a positive or negative position as would an historian. The impact of the purchase on American history must be evaluated.

TWO RESEARCHERS-These students will access the resource sites, take notes and complete the AHPPA worksheets. These worksheets will then be given to the WRITERS AND ORAL REPORTERS. All group members may take part in research but the researcher will coordinate completion of the worksheets. These students must be good internet researchers and have an in-depth understanding of “The Louisiana Purchase”.

TWO ORAL PRESENTERS & ORGANIZERS-These students will coordinate the oral presentation, create a script and construct props along with acquiring detailed knowledge of the written report. These students may delegate responsibilities to other group members for completion of the 10 minute presentation. The group presenters MUST use all the steps in the AHPPA linked below.

THE AMERICAN HISTORY PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST

The American History Public Policy Analyst is linked below. There are FOUR steps. Each step has a worksheet. The worksheets for each step must be completely filled out by the researchers using the Internet sites given in the “resource section of the web quest. All groups members should take part in helping the researchers.

FIRSTLY- Clearly describe the Louisiana Purchase. Give its specifications and stipulations as signed by Napoleon and Jefferson in 1803—Then complete the AHPPA worksheets

STEP # 1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM of use of the Mississippi River and New Orleans and the need to acquire the territory

STEP # 2: GATHER EVIDENCE FOR THE PROBLEM- What would the affect be on American history if these areas were not

Secured?

STEP # 3: DETERMINE THE CASUES FOR THE PROBLEM- What caused these areas to be so important to Americans in

1803.

STEP # 4: EVALAUTE THE POLICY- Evaluate the positives and negatives of the Purchase of Louisiana by Tomas Jefferson in

1803. This is the most important step. You will use the other three AHPPA steps in step four. You will

Take an historical point of view

Resources:

Specific web sites

Value of Mississippi River

Economic Profile of LMR.txt

LOUISIANA PURCHASE- A History

Louisiana Purchase- a short history

Jefferson’s “Big Deal”

THE TREATY

Westward HO

A KEY MAP

LEWIS & CLARK

THE NEED FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE (PDF)

JEFFERSON & THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

FACTS MONSTER-Louisiana Purchase

GENERAL WEB SITES FOR RESEARCH

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

WWW.YAHOO.COM

WWW.ASK.COM

Evaluation:

Your work will be graded according to the following rubric:

I. ORAL PRESENTATION EVALUATION

CATEGORY	4 EXCELLENT	3 VERY GOOD	2 SATISFACTORY	1 UNSATISFACTORY
CONTENT	Shows a full understanding of the topic. USES ALL STEPS OF AHPPA	Shows a good understanding of the topic. USES three OF THE four STEPS OF THE PPA	Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic. USES ALL STEPS OF THE AHPPA WITH SOME ERRORS	Does not seem to understand the topic very well. INCORRECTLY USES OR FAILS TO USE AHPPA STEPS
GROUP PARTICIPATION	Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Tries to keep people working well together.	Usually listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Does not cause "waves" in the group.	Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group but sometimes is not a good team member.	Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Often is not a good team member.
PREPAREDNESS	Student is completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed.	Student seems pretty prepared but might have needed a couple more rehearsals.	The student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking.	Student does not seem at all prepared to present.
COMPLETE SENTENCES	Always (99-100% of time) speaks in complete sentences.	Mostly (80-98%) speaks in complete sentences.	Sometimes (70-80%) speaks in complete sentences.	Rarely speaks in complete sentences.
Vocabulary	Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Extends audience vocabulary by defining words that might be new to most of the audience.	Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Includes 1-2 words that might be new to most of the audience, but does not define them.	Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Does not include any vocabulary that might be new to the audience.	Uses several (5 or more) words or phrases that are not understood by the audience.

II: WRITTEN REPORT RUBRIC

CATEGORY	4 EXCELLENT	3 VERY GOOD	2 SATISFACTORY	1 UNSAT.
Quality of Information	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.	Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
Quality of Information	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples. All 4 steps of the AH PPA are used in the discussion	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples. Three of the 4 AH PPA steps are used in the discussion	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given. Two of the 4 AHPPA steps are used in the discussion	Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic. Does not use AHPPA
Sources	All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented in the desired format.	All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format.	All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but many are not in the desired format.	Some sources are not accurately documented.
APPEARANCE	All pages of the report are carefully constructed and neatly arranged with no error	Most of the pages are carefully constructed and neatly arranged but a few errors exist	Half the pages are poorly constructed and appearance is somewhat distorted	All pages are poorly constructed and the appearance of the report is untidy and sloppy

CONCLSUION

By completing this web quest, you should have learned the importance of the Louisiana Purchase. You also should have taken an historical point of view regarding the public policy begun by Thomas Jefferson. You also have witnesses the role of the public policy analyst and historian in a democratic society. By evaluating history, students can gain critical knowledge for making public policy decisions in the future. If we do not study history, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of America and opened a critical port of entry, New Orleans, to American shipping and trading. Yet Jefferson set a precedent of using the elastic clause and expanding Presidential power. Some believe, this was the first step in limiting democracy. The Louisiana Territory, also led directly to the slave controversy and the Civil War sixty years later. Was the policy affective? Let’s hope you decided! Let’s hope you learned the role of history!

Standards addressed

Social Studies

Standard 1:   History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 2:   World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 3:   Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Standard 4:   Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

English Language Arts

Standard 1:   Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4:   Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.