The Louisiana Purchase is one of the most momentous accomplishments in the history of the United States. The attainment of the Louisiana territory is arguably the largest land purchase in the world. General Horatio Gates stated this about the Louisiana Purchase “let the land rejoice... for you have bought Louisiana for a song” (Harriss). This attainment of new territory led to additional significant events in history that helped shape America. As a result of the Louisiana territory the way of government was also challenged in what a president may or may not do and if their powers extended past what was specifically laid out in the constitution. The United States acquired new territory from France as the result of the Louisiana Purchase. The …show more content…
Napoleon Bonaparte of France knew that a war with England was on the horizon and France would need a lot of money for the impending, therefore Napoleon became open to the idea of selling the territory. The United States “in addition to making military preparations for a conflict in the Mississippi Valley, Jefferson sent James Monroe to join Robert Livingston in France to try to purchase New Orleans and West Florida for as much as $10 million.” (“Louisiana”) With Napoleon’s army being decimated by disease, Napoleon offered the entire Louisiana territory of eight hundred twenty-eight million square miles of land for fifteen million dollars. The United States acquired new territory from France as the result of the Louisiana Purchase, “Although this far exceeded their instructions from President Jefferson, they agreed” (“Louisiana”) to the price for the entirety of the Louisiana territory. This purchase is important to American History due to the significant increase in the amount of land owned by the American government. Furthermore the purchase of the Louisiana territory was significant because as Jefferson stated “The fertility of the country, its climate and extent, promise in due season important aids to our treasury, an ample provision for our posterity, and a wide-spread field for the blessings of freedom” …show more content…
The purchase of the Louisiana territory is important, the land stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, nearly doubling the size of territory owned by America. Consequently, more land meant more opportunities for the common people to own land, owning land equated to success and was the dream of most people who had moved to the Americas. Although the amount of land the American government acquired was significant, the resources that came with the land were also important and was “rich in gold, silver and other ores, as well as huge forests and endless lands for grazing and farming, the new acquisition would make America immensely wealthy” (Harriss). Subsequently a land that is rich in resources, attracted people to settle in the Louisiana territory. The territory included the Mississippi River, which was mainly used by farmers for transporting goods to the port in New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico. “The gains were dramatic, as the territory acquired would in time add 13 new states to the union. In 1812, Louisiana became the first state to join the union from land bought in the purchase.”
21. Louisiana Purchase- The purchase had happened when President Thomas Jefferson had bought the land from Napoleon Bonaparte of France, as Napoleon needed money to fund the war with France against Britain. As soon as Jefferson had purchased the land area it had made the U.S. twice its size. Jefferson had also sent Lewis and Clark to go and review the land and bring back information on the purchased area.
In 1803, The United States of America bought the Louisiana Purchase from France. Because of this purchase, the United States doubled the size of the nation. The territory stretched from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River and from the Canadian Border to the Gulf of Mexico. This purchase is considered one of Thomas Jefferson’s greatest achievements as president. Jefferson was excited to learn what this new land held.
The Louisiana Purchase Dear Editor: I think that Thomas Jefferson and the United States Government should buy the port of New Orleans because they need the get the port so that we can trade and expand the United States. One of the vast reasons that we bought the hefty territory was that we wanted total control of the New Orleans port so we could further our trade. We wanted to be in total control of the port because they stopped our trade and we needed to import and export goods. Another reason was the we wanted the port so we could trade whenever and no one could stop out trade.
France at this time did not consider it a great loss as it was expensive maintain and the Louisiana Territory was nothing more than a swamp that did not yield much benefit. When Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of France in 1799 he looked for world domination. One of the areas on his mind was to retake the Louisiana Territory from Spain. In a secret negotiation and deal with Spain, France re-acquired the Louisiana Territory in 1800. Relatively, the Louisiana Purchase included 828 million
American Creation: The Purchase, Joseph Ellis Thesis: The purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France by America opened a new chapter of American national security in History, and helped to fuel western expansion along with the growing influence of the United States worldwide. The Louisiana purchase also helped to demonstrate the extreme extent of the Executive branch’s power, and the many negative consequences it brought with executive mismanagement which included mismanagement of colonial settlement, Indian removal, and failure to abolish slavery. Reasons: The Louisiana Purchase opened a new chapter in American national security, by removing French and British imperial ambitions in the states.
The Louisiana Purchase In the year 1803, 42 years before the term “Manifest Destiny” was ever uttered, the idea was still prevalent in the United States. Two years prior, Thomas Jefferson had been elected into office. He was one of the original pioneers of the manifest destiny and set the playing field for many presidents to come. He made the decision to purchase approximately eight hundred and twenty-eight million square miles of land for twelve million dollars from Napoleon Bonaparte.
He was a strong believer in states' rights and thought that rights not explicitly stated in the Constitution should be given to the states. However, in writing the Constitution, there was no way to predict that a deal such as the Louisiana Purchase would ever be possible. Therefore, the power to purchase land from another government, thereby expanding the size of the United States, was never explicitly given to the federal government. Although Thomas Jefferson realized what a deal the Louisiana Purchase was, he had lots of moral doubts about completing the
The Louisiana Purchase has been called, “The Greatest Real Estate Deal in History.” The deal included about one-third of what is now the United States. The young country doubled the size of their country for a very low price. This deal changed the size of the United States, took away the threat of war, and changed the power of the American President.
In the years following the Revolutionary War the United States would begin to expand, although not popular among all citizens, it helped shape the country into what we know today. The first acquisition of territory would be as a result of the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain ending the Revolutionary War. This treaty marked the boundaries between the British colonies still located in North America and ceded the thirteen American colonies to a newly recognized country known as the United States of America. This would not be the only acquisition of territory that the United States would complete between the years of 1789 and 1815 but it would be the initial acquisition of territory that would develop this newly formed nation.
The Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana purchase was one of the biggest land purchases in history. In 1803, the United States paid around $15 million dollars for around 800,000 square miles of land. This was arguably the greatest achievement of thomas jefferson’s presidency. The louisiana territory was a wild card in the european game of imperialism.
In America’s history there have been many events or times that have in a way changed and shaped how we live today. The Louisiana Purchase could be recognized as one of the best and most impressive real estate purchases of Thomas Jefferson’s past. Also, this purchase could be looked at as one of the most important events in America’s past. Many historians would agree on this, but many opinions would be different on the fact if this purchase was actually worth the buy or not. Even Jefferson himself would have some doubts about the purchase.
The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the Louisiana territory by the United States from France in 1803. The U.S. paid fifty million dollars and a cancellation of debts worth eighteen million dollars which averages to less than three cents per acre. The Louisiana territory included land from fifteen present U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The territory contained land that forms Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, portions of Minnesota, large portions of North Dakota; large portions of South Dakota, parts of New Mexico, the northern portion of Texas, the area of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Louisiana Purchase was smart move by the United States.
Imagine bringing your family from Paris to New Orleans and expecting to reign over the majority of Louisiana. The same territory that was suppose to be France’s North American Empire. However, before you know it, the territory you expected to reign over is sold. This is exactly what happened to Pierre Clement de Laussat when Napoleon Bonaparte sold the territory to the United States. The sale was known as the Louisiana Purchase and it changed the world.
Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase "This little event, of France's possessing herself of Louisiana, is the embryo of a tornado which will burst on the countries on both sides of the Atlantic and involve in its effects their highest destinies." [1] Although Thomas Jefferson was one of our great Presidents I would like to appoint that our country has fought for freedom and land, we all have a dark side, and in my perspective Jefferson’s was slavery. He had great ideas but he wouldn’t let go of his slaves, other countries look over to us and they covet the power we have, for more especially our freedom, as I begin to inform you over Thomas Jefferson and his great achievement I’d like to say that this country is not perfect but most countries do wish they could find ways to take over as they have before and still continue to try and come up with schemes to ruin this powerful country despite of our imperfections.
Jefferson’s dilemma in the Louisiana Purchase In April of 1803 Thomas Jefferson was faced with many moral dilemmas in the process of buying the Louisiana territory. Though the price for the territory was beyond generous, Jefferson felt that by purchasing the territory he would be going against his beliefs that the constitution should be followed word for word. The constitution said nothing of the president having the power to purchase land from another government, or to use money of the states for the same purpose (“the moral dilemma”). Another problem was once the land was purchased, there was a fear that it could have been a waste since they had no way to know the layout of the land, and what it would be useful for.