The Story of America: How Thomas Jefferson Doubled the United States in 1803 [Ep. 18]
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 8 May 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the United States expanded westward, the young nation ended at the banks of the Mississippi River. France controlled the vast territory beyond these borders until Thomas Jefferson brokered a deal that doubled the size of the country. Despite his own reservations and personal view of the Constitution, Jefferson moved forward, expanding the nation and setting the stage for westward expansion.
As part of our ongoing Story of Us, Story of America series, Dr. Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, shares the story of how the Louisiana Purchase changed the nation forever.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:04.3 | Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. |
| 0:07.7 | Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand |
| 0:11.8 | new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. |
| 0:15.5 | Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the |
| 0:20.3 | biology of taunons and wampas |
| 0:22.2 | on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. |
| 0:28.3 | Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your |
| 0:33.5 | podcasts. |
| 0:44.2 | Music your podcast. This is Lee Habib, and this is our American stories, the show where America is the star |
| 0:50.2 | and the American people. |
| 0:52.5 | Up next, another installment in our series about us, the story of |
| 0:56.7 | America series with Hillsdale College Professor and author of the terrific book, Land of Hope, |
| 1:02.8 | Bill McLeigh. The presidency of Thomas Jefferson marked a drastic change from that of his |
| 1:08.6 | predecessors, George Washington, and John Adams. Jefferson was a party man |
| 1:13.5 | through and through, but some of his best decisions were made by putting the country first. |
| 1:19.4 | Let's get into the story. Take it away, Bill. |
| 1:22.2 | There's a saying, and it's usually said rather cynically, that sometimes a politician has to rise |
| 1:27.1 | above principle. |
| 1:28.1 | It's supposed to be a kind of humorous statement, but actually there's truth to it. |
| 1:32.4 | Sometimes statesmanship, the art of governing well, which is an art and not a science, |
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