Overview: When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from the French in 1803, he essentially added the Great Plains to the United States. From that point forward, Americans looked to form a nation from sea to sea . . . A great continental nation. This push west was called Manifest Destiny. Two National Monuments commemorate the heroic struggle of ordinary Americans to fulfill the American dream of Manifest Destiny. Chapter 1: Scott's Bluff National Monument (Nebraska) Chapter 2: Homestead National Monument (Nebraska)