Book 1: Undaunted Courage - By Stephen E. Ambrose

Get the book here

This book is part of gameproject 1: The Oregon Trail

Introduction

·      The United States declared independence on July 4, 1776, as stated in the famous Declaration of Independence written by President Thomas Jefferson. In the Northwest Ordinance from 1787 Jefferson also established a system for governing and admitting new states from the Northwest Territory (present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota). It guaranteed civil liberties, promoted public education, and prohibited slavery in the territory, setting a precedent for future state expansion. The ordinance ensured that new states would have equal status with the original 13 colonies, shaping the westward growth of the United States.

I absolutely love the concept of this declaration and decided to explore it further! Here are some great sources I found, along with a well-written Wikipedia article that provides a solid overview. Read about my exploration of the declaration here.

·       On July 4, 1803 (27 years later), President Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the United States by purchasing land west of the Mississippi River from Napoleon - 828.000 square miles (3.3 billion square miles) of land for just 15 million dollars or 18 dollars per square mile. This historic transaction, known as the Louisiana Purchase, included present-day Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Montana, New Orleans, Arkansas, parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Minnesota.

President Thomas Jefferson purchased land from Napoleon (marked in white)

o   An interesting read about the Louisiana Purchase

o   A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at this historic real estate deal

Was this deal really that profitable?

The short answer is no, if we consider Native American tribes.

The initial payment did not account for the additional costs of acquiring land from Indigenous peoples. Historian Robert Lee’s research indicates that, over time, the United States paid approximately $2.6 billion (in 2012 dollars) to Native American tribes for land within the Louisiana Territory. Adjusted for inflation, this amounts to $3.57 billion to $11.68 billion in 2025 dollars. In comparison, the original $15 million purchase equates to $400 million today.

Averaging everything out, the total cost in today’s terms comes to approximately $8 billion.

But was it still a really good deal?

As of 2025, land prices vary widely based on location, intended use, and property size. In Louisiana, the average cost per acre is around $3,500, translating to about $2.24 million per square mile (since one square mile equals 640 acres). Therefore, purchasing the same 828,000 square miles at this rate today would cost approximately $1.855 trillion.

-> Still a sweet deal indeed!

Also on July 4, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson issued a letter of unlimited credit to Meriwether Lewis for an exploring expedition to the Pacific Ocean—making it the most unrestricted credit ever granted by a U.S. president. William Clark joined Lewis in October 1803 at Clarksville. Lewis ultimately became the first man to cross the majority of the North American continent.

Youth (1774-1792)

On December 16, 1773 The Boston Tea Party took place. It was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston against the British Tea Act. Angry over taxation without representation, American colonists, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea (worth about $1.7 million today) into Boston Harbor. This act escalated tensions between Britain and the colonies, ultimately leading to the American Revolution.