READ: Preparing for the Journey

Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was one of the largest land purchases in history. In 1803, the United States bought from France a vast area of some 828,000 square miles (2,144,520 square kilometers), a territory covering the central third of what are today the "Lower 48" states. The area stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north. Before territorial boundary adjustments were made, the territory included all or parts of what became 15 states. These are (with the dates of their admission to the Union): Louisiana (1812), Missouri (1821), Arkansas (1836), Texas (1845), Iowa (1846), Minnesota (1858), Kansas (1861), Nebraska (1867), Colorado (1876), North Dakota (1889), South Dakota (1889), Montana (1889), Wyoming (1890), Oklahoma (1907), and New Mexico (1912).

Napoleon needed money to finance a war he was planning against Great Britain, and he feared that once that war began, the United States would take advantage of the situation and try to seize Louisiana. Furthermore, he doubted that he could defend both Louisiana and Haiti, France's most valuable sugar colony, which was at that time undergoing a violent slave rebellion. Thus, Napoleon decided to sell Louisiana rather than fight for it.

The Sale and Transfer

Livingston and Monroe were startled at being offered so much more than they had hoped to buy. And because Napoleon was in a hurry to finish the business, they finalized the deal without referring the matter back to President Jefferson.

A treaty dated April 30, 1803, and signed May 2 sold Louisiana to the United States for about 80 million francs, or $15 million. Of this amount, $11.25 million was for the territory itself. The rest covered debts owed by France and Spain to American citizens, mostly for property damages, which the United States agreed to pay.

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