I believe the answer is: To control trade along the Mississippi River.
By controlling the Mississippi river, Thomas Jefferson believe that they could eliminate british influence in products distribution to different states. He counted that the amount of products transported from this river could accounted to around 500 million tons of shipped goods per year.
He's 56. And u coulda just googled him
A. Catholicism I guess but I need 20 characters in my answer so yea
