The Louisiana Purchase Debate

After the death of Huey Long, Louisiana politics were divided into two significant camps under the Pro-Long and Anti-Long forces. This philosophy of government became known as “Longism” and its vision was to split Louisiana politics right down the middle. The Pro-Long and Anti-Long forces were what we know today as Democratic and Republican parties. The point of the two parties was to establish balance between social responsibility and fiscal restraint.

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson made the most controversial purchase regrading to the constitution. The Louisiana Purchase went against everything Jefferson believed in. Jefferson faced heat from both parties whether it was to accept or that he will be a hypocrite for accepting it. With this purchase Jefferson made the best decision of his time because of all the benefits the land gave the country. Thomas Jefferson was the direct definition of an anti-federalist.

Many countries went through changes like the U.S. The U.S grew physically by gaining more land, it grew politically through making the government stronger, and it grew socially by people gaining opportunities and rights. The U.S was originally 13 states. Thomas Jefferson bought land from France to expand the country. This event in history was called the ‘Louisiana Purchase’.

I agree that Jefferson feared all southern states would be at Napoleon’s mercy if he settled in New Orleans. However, Napoleon’s intentions of the New World backfired as yellow fever, other diseases, and rebels revolting assisted in Napoleons decision to cut his losses. Furthermore, I also want to add that another reason the Louisiana Purchase came about was because Jefferson envisioned a country large enough for all descendants and felt the land of America allowed this, but Jefferson realized the nation’s current condition was too small. Therefore, he knew if he could somehow acquire rights to the land west of the Mississippi, it would provide people with enough land to prosper forever.

France suddenly posed a potential threat to America. There was fear that if America did not purchase New Orleans from France, it could lead to a conflict. He believed it would help America secure the water way passage to the Gulf of Mexico. Jefferson also believed that it would double the body of America and become the predominant force to contend with. Therefore, Jefferson sent envoys to France to try and secure its purchase for two million dollars.

I agree with the view that the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 contradicts Jefferson’s stance on not granting the federal government too much power because in fact, the purchase of this vast territory by the government did give federal authorities more power than was acceptable to the people. Additionally, purchasing new land was not stated in the Constitution; therefore, government did not have the right to take this course of action. As stated in “Jeffersonian Ideology” from Jefferson’s point of view: “Limiting the federal government flowed from his strict interpretation of the Constitution.” Jefferson had always been known to make strict interpretations of the federal government’s powers, but because of his desire to acquire new land in the

In the 1800’s, Thomas Jefferson campaigned on the ethics of the Republican belief of a weak central government, and to ensure these beliefs are kept one must rely on the principles of lower taxes, justice, and a lack of strongly enforced governmental restrictions. However, Thomas Jefferson failed to follow the very principles he promised to emanate as he created a government trading restriction known as the Embargo Acts, increased taxes due to the Louisiana Purchase, and followed John Adams ideology in the Alien and Sedition act and tried to have Samuel Chase impeached and removed from office on false charges due to his anti-Jefferson mindset. Thus, Thomas Jefferson failed to keep the philosophy of the Republican party and contradicted his

Any additions to what was stated there in the Constitution, he believed was considered unconstitutional. “I hope to God they may, for possession of it we must have—I mean of New Orleans, and of such other positions on the Mississippi as may be necessary to secure to us forever the complete and uninterrupted navigation of that river. This I have ever been in favor of; I think it essential to the peace of the United States and to the prosperity of our Western country.” (Senate Debates on the Louisiana Purchase 2–3 November 1803 Wednesday, 2 November 1803 Samuel White) There was no constitutional power granted to Congress or the President to buy territory for the United States, yet Monroe

It all commenced with the Louisiana Purchase in which Thomas Jefferson negotiated with France and bought what was known to be later as fourteen new states added to the country. Over the years, it brought news to the eastern states to travel west for various reasons. Was it really destiny to move? In fact, it was destiny to move west because it was prominent for America to become an innovative established country. One comprehension is that there are multiple benefits to come for the Americans and new technology that will assist the settlers that are emigrating.

Jefferson was trying to expand his land into bigger territory and move the war out West to let them get the war away from home towns. The land had about 828,000,000 miles of land to discover and look around and find new things. Napoleon was threating us that he would block us from using our side of the Mississippi river and that was becoming a big problem we needed a way to get our good from one side of the south to the other. All in the end Jefferson ended up buy all the miles of land from Napoleon for 15 million dollars just for all the west. It was a lot of money but he ended up getting a lot of land out of the deal.

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.

It started the migration west for the United States. It doubled the size of the nation. The Louisiana Purchase is one of the biggest piece of land bought by the United States in history. Who was the land bought from? The land was bought from France.

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.

The Louisiana Purchase happened during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. The purchase was important for the United States for a few reasons. The Louisiana Purchase made it possible for the United States to expand west out to the Pacific Ocean. Not only was this expansion valuable to the

New Orleans being a port city, it was a good passage for trade. Despite this, a rebellion in Haiti had shifted his focus off of the territory. Now that the land held no benefit to him, and was a large mass just taking up space, he decided his best option was to sell the land and gain the money for France (“Background”). Jefferson's only concern was securing the waterway into the Gulf of Mexico. He offered a sum of two million dollars for the port city alone.