2. To expand trade and commerce: Jefferson saw the Louisiana Purchase as an opportunity to expand trade and commerce with the Western interior and with other countries. The Mississippi River, which flowed through the Louisiana Territory, provided a vital transportation route for goods and commerce.
3. To promote republicanism: Jefferson believed that the expansion of the United States into the Louisiana Territory would help to spread republican ideals and institutions to new areas. He hoped that the creation of new states in the West would strengthen the Republican Party and preserve the Union.