A TRIBUTE TO TRAILBLAZERS A symbol of the American spirit of discovery and growth the St Louis Gateway Arch is a tribute to Thomas Jefferson and the explorers and pioneers who shaped the American West Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River in St Louis Missouri it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Memorial The Arch stands 630 feet 189 meters high making it the tallest monument in the United States 4 The St Louis Gateway Arch is a symbol of western expansion
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial includes the Arch the surrounding grounds the Museum of Westward Expansion and St Louis Old Courthouse the site of the first two trials of an American slave’s fight to gain freedom The Old Courthouse is a two block walk from the St Louis Gateway Arch Dred Scott The Dred Scott case was one of the most important cases in U S history Dred Scott an American slave sued for his family’s freedom in April 1846 The first two trials were heard at the Old Courthouse in St Louis The U S Supreme Court eventually decided the case in 1857 ruling that as slaves or property the Scotts were not citizens and could not sue The decision also allowed slavery in the West The decision led in part to the start of the Civil War Dred Scott 1795 1858 5
AMERICA SPREADS WEST In 1803 the population of the United States was growing quickly However commerce in the young nation relied upon access to the Mississippi River which was owned by France as part of its Louisiana Territory This map shows the portion of the United States that was once called the Louisiana Territory 6
Thomas Jefferson the third U S president wanted access to the Mississippi River He sent James Monroe to France to negotiate with French leader Napoleon Bonaparte to purchase a portion of France’s stake in the land All eyes all hopes are now fixed on you for on the event of this mission depends the future destinies of this republic President Jefferson told Monroe Thomas Jefferson 1743 1826 James Monroe 1758 1831 Napoleon Bonaparte 1769 1821 7
