Lousisiana Purchase Dbq

Somehow, at the point when the chance to buy the Louisiana Purchase introduced itself, Jefferson couldn't leave the offer behind. The Louisiana purchase had many pros and cons. Things like Economy, resources, money, change , expansion and land were few of the many advantages and disadvantages. The purchase had helped and benefited the United States tremendously. Creating this land deal meant better was soon to come; especially for Thomas Jefferson by which this was one of his most important achievements during his

As noted, Jackson was the first true Democrat elected to office. The support received from western farmers and eastern workers signified that the wealthy oligarchy from Boston and Virginia who had lost touch with the masses. New voting changes such as most states removing or reducing the property qualifications restrictions allowed for more average citizens to hit the polling booths. To these average or common voters, Jackson was touted as the representative of a new age an even Jackson saw himself as the spokesman of the people who needed to fill this new

Jefferson's plans for the nation were dependent upon westward expansion for educated American farmers. He wanted access to international markets to create the ideal society of agriculturist. His enduring vision was altered and crushed, however, when France repossessed control of Louisiana in 1801. The ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte, who had risen to power during the French Revolution, threatened to block American access to the New Orleans port on the Mississippi River. This port played a crucial key in the American business. New American settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains were dependent on the Mississippi River to transport their goods. The then president, Thomas Jefferson understood that blocking access to New Orleans was a grave threat to the interests of Americans. So what did Jefferson do? Well when the vast territory presented itself, he knew he could not pass it up. Jefferson always stated his strong belief that the federal government powers should be followed strictly. In fact, Article IV of the Constitution states that new states could be added, but made no provisions for the taking of foreign territories ("Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase"). Being a strict constructionist, he strongly felt that any powers not specifically given to the federal government were reserved for the interest of individual sovereign states. Jefferson followed the Constitution 'religiously' and when he purchased Louisiana it challenged his whole belief on it. He previously argued with Alexander Hamilton about the Presidential Powers as presented (The Moral Dilemma). Needless to say, he was caught in the act and people took notice. Many of those in the Federalist Party believed that if anyone else were to do the same thing he would have objectified on Constitutional grounds. Some New England Federalists even began to talk of secession since their political

It has offered the United States citizens with new natural resources and new land for farming and housing. The Louisiana Territory offered some of the richest land for farming. The Louisiana Purchase is one of the most important land deals in the United States history, Even though many Americans were wary about the large addition to the United States. Many Americans were worried about defending the new addition to the United States and worried about boundary disputes with Spain. But not only did the Louisiana territory offer new space but it provided new information about new animal species and plant species. Many Americans celebrated the transfer of power of Louisiana from France to the United States. The Louisiana Purchase allowed the United States to have unlimited access to the Mississippi river which is a very important natural resource. According to the article, The Louisiana Purchase was probably Thomas Jefferson’s greatest achievement as a president. This purchase shows the power of the federal government and the presidency. This purchase helped the United States gain wealth and stature. The United States continued to grow throughout the nineteenth century. (American Eras: Primary

The Louisiana Purchase was a major event in the growth of the United States of America. Purchased from France for 15 million by Thomas Jefferson in 1803, it gave America twice the available land, adding 827,000 square miles. Some may argue the Louisiana Purchase is unconstitutional, but Jefferson found a way around that. The Constitution says land may be acquired through treaties such as the Louisiana Purchase. After the accusation of the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson had an expedition lead by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The goal of the expedition was to map the new territory and find a quicker path to the Pacific Ocean. The entire expedition lasted a little longer than two years to complete.

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson was sent as the Secretary of State to negotiate with the French in regards to the city of New Orleans --it was a prime trading dock since many waterways would intersect at the port. However, when Jefferson met with Napoleon discussing the plans, the French offered him the Louisiana Purchase that spanned west of the Mississippi River for quite a miniscule price. The context behind such a deal is that the French were fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, trying to fight England; the battle was not in favor of the French, and Napoleon feared that war retributions would require the French to give the Louisiana Purchase to England without getting anything in return. The French obviously wanted to gain as much of an edge as possible in the war so they sold the Louisiana Purchase for quick, liquid money that could be devoted towards the war and the French also hoped that they would be able to buy the Louisiana Purchase back from the United States when the French are in a more stable time. Even with such an amazing deal, Jefferson had internal conflictions when purchasing the land. He believed in the policy of strict construction and felt the government was restricted to only the powers explicitly granted by the U.S. Constitution. However, the Constitution does not mention anything about the government being able to purchase land. In the end, Jefferson did buy the land, and it doubled the size of the United States.

There was not specific language in the Constitution that authorized the government to make such acquisitions of foreign territory, so many people viewed Jefferson’s actions as unconstitutional. They also viewed it as hypocritical, given his previously strict constructionist stance and heavy criticism of others for stepping beyond the bounds of the Constitution. Jefferson made many attempts to validate the authorization, arguing, for instance, that “What is practicable must often control what is pure theory.” He meant that the practical benefits of the purchase were more important than his own personal constitutional beliefs. Certainly, although controversial, the purchase of Louisiana allowed the United States to flourish in ways that one could not have

Jefferson conducted one of the largest territory gains in United States history with the Louisiana Purchase. Louisiana was France territory, originally from Spain; and Napoleon was already eager to sell because his empire was expanding and needed money, especially from the loss at Santo Domingo. France did not want Britain to take Louisiana because they controlled the seas.

The threat of losing the free trade right in Louisiana territory made the President Thomas Jefferson look for alternatives to secure the American economy. Along with the economic

The Louisiana Purchase was President Jefferson’s most popular and significant event of his presidency, but not many agreed with the decision. The Louisiana Territory was initially populated by Indians then settle by the French and later by the Spanish. When Jefferson got the offer to buy the territory, the Federalist Party argued that it was unconstitutional to acquire any territory. Jefferson agreed that the U.S. Constitution did not contain explicit provisions for acquiring territory, but he asserted that his constitutional power to negotiate treaties was sufficient. Not only did acquiring the immense territory promote peace and security for the nation by removing French power from the region but also diminish racial tension along the Atlantic

President Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana territory from the French government for fifteen million dollars in 1803. The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the Unites States and stretched from The Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to New Orleans. Jefferson strongly believed that the key to a nation’s health was expanding westward. He believed that a republic needed an independent and virtuous citizenry for its survival, along with the belief that independence and virtue went together with land ownership, specifically the ownership of small farms. If Jefferson was to provide enough land for the yeomen, the United States would have to expand more. The most defining themes in nineteenth century American history is the westward expansion.

He could not pass up a great opportunity of new land being added to their nation. This deal turned out to be one of the greatest real estate purchases ever made. It would double the size of the United States, make westward expansion possible, remove European presence, and supply more resources. However, being a strict Constitutionalist, Jefferson faced the conflict of the negotiation’s constitutionality. If Jefferson chose to go through with the Purchase, he would be abandoning his beliefs and implying that the Federalists’ idea of a loose interpretation of the constitution was the correct way to govern. Thereby, Jefferson would have to take a broader view of the Constitution, an idea that he strictly opposed. As a result of the Purchase, Jefferson lost his principals: strict constitutionalism and state’s rights for the country’s

In 1800, a weakend Spain returned Louisiana to France, which, under Napoleon Bonaparte, was fast emerging as Europe's strongest military power, Jefferson was appalled (Boyer 241). The president had imagined for a long time the inevitable expansion of the free and good American people would create an "empire of Liberty" (Boyer 241). Before this dream became a reality, the French would have to subdue Saint Domingue, where by 1800 a revolution had resulted in a take over of the government. Jefferson worried most about New Orleans, was the only port avaliable. The combination of France failure led to the American purchase of Lousiana. Jefferson sent Monroe and Livingston to Paris to buy New Orleans from France. Bonaparte came to the conclusion that the Caribbean empire was not worth the cost. Bonaparte planned to attack Europe and needed cash. So he decided to sell all of Louisiana. The price for the Land was 15 million. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the area of the United States. ( Boyer 242). Jefferson had no provision of the Constitution authorized to acquire the new territory. ( Notes Module 2, Part 4). But most Federalist opposed the Louisiana Purchase because it would decrease the relative importance of their strongholds on the eastern

On April 30th, 1803, the United States doubled its land area when the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed making the 828,000 square miles of the Louisiana territory a part of the New World. After the exchange of $15 million to France in exchange for Louisiana, France’s influence in the United States was demolished. When the proposition of purchasing the Louisiana territory arose, Thomas Jefferson had many diverse opinions whether the addition would have a positive or negative effect on the future of the United States.

Faced with a decidedly hostile Judicial branch, the Republicans quickly took steps to defy the Federalist moves. In March of 1802, Congress repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801, which eliminated the new judgeships and designated one Supreme Court justice and one district court judge to sit on the traveling appellate courts. Republicans in Congress, with Jefferson’s support, then proceeded to impeach two federal justices who had openly attacked the administration from the bench.