The Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was a portion of land west of the mississippi. It was purchased from Napoleon (French) by the U.S. for 15 million dollars in 1803. The U.S. wanted new orleans because then The United States would have a faster route to get to the coastal states. The federalist had legitimate problems with the Purchase and expressed them openly.

Thomas Jefferson had mixed emotions about the Louisiana Purchase. On one hand, he knew it would be a grand opportunity, and the United States would be assured free navigation of the Mississippi River. Also, it would double our nation in size and be considered one of the largest, if not the largest, land transaction in history. On the other hand, he was conflicted whether or not to buy the Louisiana Territory because of guidelines set forth in the Constitution. The Constitution did not specifically

Imagine you are the President of a rapidly expanding country. If you got offered 530 million acres of land for $15 million, would you buy it? President Thomas Jefferson and his advisers were faced with this exact decision. Thomas Jefferson, envious of France’s New Orleans, sent Monroe and Livingston to Paris with the hope of at least getting the port rights to New Orleans, if incapable of buying it with a budget of $9.3 million. When Livingston and Monroe reached Paris, they were surprised to find Napoleon and his French government not only willing to sell, but almost forcing a sale on the American ambassadors. Not only that, they wanted to sell all 830,000 square miles of the Louisiana Territory, including New Orleans. Constantly expanding and exploring, Livingston and Monroe knew America needed more room to grow. 530 Million acres worth of land would be more than sufficient for 1803 America. At 3 cents per acre, the Louisiana Purchase was a great deal as far as cost is concerned. Before they had even signed the contract sealing the deal, President Thomas Jefferson had already recruited a close friend and fellow botanist, Meriwether Lewis to explore the new Territory. Before the public even knew about the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition had set out. The Louisiana Purchase was a good idea because it provided room for rapidly-expanding America to grow and explore at an incredibly low price but also increased America’s global prowess.

It was interesting to me to read about Thomas Jefferson’s leadership style in the CNN article and hear about it the video “The Louisiana Purchase.” One of the things in the video that really interested me was how the presidents and politicians would use their own code. I was surprised when the video mentioned how Jefferson purposely sent a letter that was not coded so that Napoleon could hear rumors of America thinking about allying with British. I did not know Thomas Jefferson had it in him to bluff like that. It all makes me wonder, though, who was reading the letters and how many people talked about it for Napoleon himself to end up hearing about the contents of the letter?

The Louisiana Purchase today, is considered one of the greatest things an acting president has ever done. However, when Jefferson did buy the territory, it was viewed by many of his fellow Republicans as Federalistic, and an act of viewing the Constitution very loosely. Many claimed that he was abandoning his political principles, which he had fought for so strongly in the past. However, amid all the claims of his betrayal of his political principles by buying the territory without consulting congress, it is clear that he didn’t abandon them, because he did it for an agrarian expansion, and because he believed that it was best for Americans. Both of these reasons are two of the main ideals of the Republican

The Louisiana Purchase was the most important event of President Thomas Jefferson's first Administration. In this transaction, the United States bought 827,987 square miles of land from France for about $15 million. This vast area lay between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, stretching

In 1803, the Louisiana territory impacted the United States of America with the acquisition of land all across North America. “Immediately after the ratification of the present Treaty by the President of the United States…the commissary of the French Republic shall remit all military posts of New Orleans and other parts of the ceded territory to…the President to take possession”. The Louisiana territory was purchased from the French for fifteen million dollars. This was after the Spanish had sold the territory to France. Unlike the United States, France had not realized the great significance of this land and all the opportunities it could have potentially opened to their own

The Louisiana Purchase opened a window of opportunity to the Americans, as the purchase expanded the nation further west. Evidently, the purchase of this land mass created a need for new technology and transportation. Throughout the period of 1800-1853, changes in technology and transportation further developed the Northern and Northwestern states, while the Southern states continued with a similar way of life aided by advancements in technology and transportation. Advances in technology and transportation dictated the opportunities presented to Northern and Northwestern society and settlement, but preserved continuity in Southern labor systems.

The Louisiana Purchase is a large amount of land, west of the Mississippi River, which was purchased from France by the United States in 1803. The purchase yielded about 828,000 square miles of land. The United States’ acquisition of the land has doubled the size of the country, helping the nation in the progress of expanding westward. There was a dispute between the French and the Spanish over the land that they claimed as theirs. The Spanish were the first one to set foot in America.

What makes the Louisiana Purchase such a defining moment in American history is the very fact that many of us couldn’t imagine our nation without it. Just think about it for a second: How different would the history of the United States be if the nation’s western boundary stopped at the Mississippi River? It would change the very fabric of how Americans imagine themselves, how the economy of the country works, and how the nation was shaped. Indeed, many of you reading this right now might not have even been Americans if not for the Louisiana Purchase.

President Thomas Jefferson faced many moral dilemmas during the process of deciding to purchase the territory, the moral predicaments that president Thomas Jefferson faced was going against the constitution, going in major debt to pay for the territory, and also faced many issues with foreign policy almost exclusively between the countries Spain and France. President Jefferson was put in a situation that no other leader of our young country had ever been in, and he stressed about breaking his own moral code to make the correct decision for his nation.

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

At first the United States wanted to buy only New Orleans and the land around it. The purchase met with the strong opposition in the United States on account of being unconstitutional. Those accusations were correct to some extent. President Jefferson couldn’t deny that the Constitution of the United States did not provide for buying new territories but still he decided to proceed with the purchase since the removal of French presence in the region was such an important issue.

The Decisions made to buy the Louisiana Purchase were tough; however, in the end the Louisiana Purchase was the most important land purchase in American history. In 1803 the United States had seventeen states along with the Northwest Territory. America still had not reached its potential growth, even though the states were still growing with settlers, until after the Louisiana Purchase. The president at this time was Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s decision would soon be the birth of our nation, as well as be the largest land purchase in American history.

The Louisiana Purchase is the biggest exchange of land in history. Jefferson’s acquisition of this big piece of land doubled the United States’ size for 15 million dollars. The Louisiana Purchase would have not happen without Napoléon’s loss of interest in the french american empire. At the time, Thomas Jefferson was in office,the president’s political beliefs opposed this to happen, what convinced him? As the United States started to expand, gaining alliance with the most powerful forces on the planet, business and influence started to flourish. New Orleans became the most diverse place in the country both socially and politically.