Louisiana Purchase

Louisiana Purchase.mp4

United States in 1802. Louisiana Purchase occurred in 1803

The Louisiana Purchase was around 828,000 square miles.

In 1803, the United States purchased Louisiana from France for $15 million dollars.

Where did the money come from?

The price was only about four cents per acre, but $15 million was still a lot of money. Something that cost $15 million in 1803 would cost over $233 million today! The United States had to borrow most of this amount from European banks.

The United States was interested in buying New Orleans from France. New Orleans was an important port on the Gulf of Mexico. A port is a harbor city where ships load and unload goods.

Farmers in Kentucky and Tennessee used the Mississippi River to ship their goods down to New Orleans. From New Orleans, goods could go to the Atlantic Coast or Europe.

The Third Treaty of San Ildefonso worried the United States.

The United States government worried that the French would limit access to New Orleans. So, representatives were sent to France to see if Napoleon would sell New Orleans to the United States.

When Napoleon offered to sell all of Louisiana—not just New Orleans—the United States accepted.

One major reason that Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader of France, wanted to sell Louisiana is France was preparing for war with Britain. Napoleon needed money for the war.

Britain declared war on France in May 1803. The conflict between the two countries continued for more than ten years.

The French colony of Saint-Domingue played a role in Napoleon wanting to sell Louisiana.

Saint-Domingue

France's plans for Louisiana centered around its most valuable colony, Saint-Domingue. Saint-Domingue was a sugar-producing colony in the Caribbean Sea. France could make a lot of money by selling the sugar from Saint-Domingue. By owning both Saint-Domingue and Louisiana, Napoleon hoped to have a lot of power in North America.

However, the people of Saint-Domingue rebelled against the French. Many of the leaders of the rebellion were former enslaved people. In 1803, France lost control of the colony. In 1804, Saint-Domingue became the independent country of Haiti.

Without Saint-Domingue, Napoleon didn't think it was worth it to keep Louisiana.

Thomas Jefferson arranged the Louisiana Purchase. He was president from 1801 to 1809. He bought the land so America could move further west, and also bought it for the new plant and animal life that would improve American science.

The Constitution didn't say that the federal government could buy land. Thomas Jefferson felt uncomfortable doing something not clearly in the Constitution.

The Senate had to approve the Louisiana Purchase. Look at the chart showing how senators from the two political parties voted.