Until lately there was no white man on this continent; it then all belonged to red men. The way—and the only way — to check and stop this evil is for all the red men to unite in claiming a common equal right in land. The white people have no right to take the land from the Indians, because they had it first. It is theirs. They may sell it, but all must join. Any sale not made by all is not valid. . . All red men have equal rights to the unoccupied land. It belongs to the first who sits down on his blanket or skins which he has thrown upon the ground, and till he leaves it no other has a right.In the case of the Louisiana Territory, discovery by Europeans, as well as agreement to treaties, represented the right to land. After having received this territory from Spain through a treaty, Napoleon now wished to sell it to the United States:
Irresolution and deliberation are no longer in season. I renounce Louisiana. It is not only New Orleans that I will cede. It is the whole colony without any reservation. I renounce it with the greatest regret. I direct you to negotiate this affair with the envoys of the United States. Have an interview this very day with Mr. Livingston. . . For a century France and Spain have been putting out for improvements in Louisiana, for which its trade has never repaid them… I want fifty million francs.
After reading both views on the right to land, please answer these questions:
With the use of an atlas, introduce the students to the index in the back of the book, For example, a city or town would appear as follows:
The index entry above represents the city, county, state, population, map index key and page number. In the case of rivers, however, only the key and page number are listed. After students have studied the location of the Louisiana Territory in their text books, have them list the states within the Territory. Then, using an atlas, they should locate the following rivers and list at least two important cities along each river:
- Mississippi River
- Arkansas River
- Yellowstone River
- Red River
- Missouri River
The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri and other rivers to find the best routes across the continent…Get well acquainted with the people you meet. Learn all you can of their languages, jobs, food, clothes. Find out what diseases they have and their remedies for them. Learn about their laws, customs, and how they get along with other peoples…
Pay special attention to the following:
- The soil and the lay of the land
- Fruits, vegetables, and animals, especially those not already known in the United States
- Minerals, metals and volcanic appearances
- Climate. Keep a record of temperatures, the number of rainy, cloudy and clear days. Notice the dates when flowers begin to bloom or trees lose their leaves. Keep a record of when birds, reptiles and insects appear.
- Treat all the people you meet in a friendly, peaceful manner. Let them know the United States wants to be neighborly, friendly, and useful to them. Let them know we want to trade with them…
- Take some cow pox with you. Encourage the Indians to use that medicine to prevent small pox. Be sure to do this where you spend the winter, to protect your Indian hosts.
Now please answer the following questions:
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