who sold the louisiana territory to the united states
The Lewis and Clark expedition followed shortly thereafter. American diplomats Robert Livingston and James Monroepurchased the Louisiana Territory from the French for $15 million dollars, or four cents an acre, in 1803. PBS describes how by 1812, France had increased its army strength to 600,000 men, not to mention the thousands in the navy. Spain, no longer a dominant European power, did little to develop Louisiana during the next three decades. The U.S. adapted the former Spanish facility at Fort Bellefontaine as a fur trading post near St. Louis in 1804 for business with the Sauk and Fox. The Louisiana purchase doubled the size of America. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25723883. . The key to opening the western goal was securing the Mississippi River and the Louisiana Territory. [5], Following the establishment of the United States, the Americans controlled the area east of the Mississippi and north of New Orleans. The remaining 60 million francs ($11.25 million) were financed through U.S. government bonds carrying 6% interest, redeemable between 1819 and 1822. [27], Spain protested the transfer on two grounds: First, France had previously promised in a note not to alienate Louisiana to a third party and second, France had not fulfilled the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso by having the King of Etruria recognized by all European powers. He bought the Louisiana territory from France, which was being led by Napoleon Bonaparte at the time, for 15,000,000 USD. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Furthermore, the French had no administration over the territory and few French settlers lived on the land. Napoleon sold France's Louisiana territory because he needed money to fund his wars of conquest in Europe one of the terms of the Louisiana purchase was that the U.S. had to pay the whole price up front in gold. Even though Europeans had ostensibly laid claim to Louisiana for centuries, it remained largely undeveloped, with few wanting to move there. is the embryo of a tornado which will burst on the countries on both shores . At the same time, this territorial expansion also allowed for the growth and expansion of slavery in the United States, which finally culminated in the American Civil War. Adams' Vice President 4. went to France to purchase New Orleans 5. sold Louisiana to the United States 6. explored the Louisiana Territory 1. 3, 1904, pp. 55, no. Which one of the following men was not a member of Washington's first Cabinet? According to the memoirs of Franois Barb-Marbois, in what was a prophetic statement foreshadowing the American Civil War, Napoleon said, "Perhaps it will also be objected to me, that the Americans may be found too powerful for Europe in two or three centuries: but my foresight does not embrace such remote fears. The failed suppression of the Haitian Revolution also diverted French troops from landing in the port city of New Orleans, a near crisis averted for the United States. D. was forced to sell the land after losing a war to the United States. Both Federalists and Jeffersonians were concerned over the purchase's constitutionality. The rest was history. When Napoleon rose to power he recommitted to recapture the colony of Saint Domingue (Haiti) and sent tens of thousands of troops in 1802 to crush the rebellion. Critics in Congress worried whether these "foreigners", unacquainted with democracy, could or should become citizens. [37][38], Effective October 1, 1804, the purchased territory was organized into the Territory of Orleans (most of which would become the state of Louisiana) and the District of Louisiana, which was temporarily under control of the governor and judicial system of the Indiana Territory. The formidable British navy could easily blockade the territory and seize it for themselves. [26] The Federalists also feared that the power of the Atlantic seaboard states would be threatened by the new citizens in the West, whose political and economic priorities were bound to conflict with those of the merchants and bankers of New England. What Napoleon needed was a way to divest himself of the territory while at the same time preventing it from falling into British hands. Alain Chappet, Roger Martin, Alain Pigeard. Everybody who has taken grade-school history knows the story. [citation needed], Governing the Louisiana Territory was more difficult than acquiring it. The Constitution specifically grants the president the power to negotiate treaties (Art. By early 1803, Napoleon decided to abandon his plans to rebuild France's New World empire. Your email address will not be published. Manifest destiny was in full effect. While this strategy was successful at first, by 1803, disease and heavy casualties forced the French to withdraw. The Northerners were not enthusiastic about Western farmers gaining another outlet for their crops that did not require the use of New England ports. A final reason for Napoleons fateful decision was that he foresaw the difficulty in maintaining a French colony in North America across the Atlantic and so close to the United States. This was coupled with the importation of enslaved Africans. France The Louisiana Purchase was a land purchase made by United States president, Thomas Jefferson, in 1803. Perhaps the most important reason as to why Napoleon sold the Louisiana territory to the United States was the Haitian Revolution. [53][54], The eastern boundary of the Louisiana purchase was the Mississippi River, from its source to the 31st parallel, though the source of the Mississippi was, at the time, unknown. pp. On March 10, 1804, France officially transferred its claim to the Louisiana Territory to the United States. Why Was Washingtons Farewell Address Important? Though Jefferson urged moderation, Federalists sought to use this against Jefferson and called for hostilities against France. In this light the deal can be seen as a win-win between Napoleon and the United States. Native Americans way of life was forever changed by the unrelenting encroachment of American settlers. [18] After the signing Livingston famously stated, "We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our whole lives From this day the United States take their place among the powers of the first rank. As described by History, under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, the enslaved allied with nonwhite free people and successfully overthrew the slave order, taking control of all of Hispaniola, not just Saint-Domingue. It cannot be understated just how important the Louisiana Purchase was to the United States. [24], Henry Adams and other historians have argued that Jefferson acted hypocritically with the Louisiana Purchase, because of his position as a strict constructionist regarding the Constitution since he stretched the intent of that document to justify his purchase. How was the Louisiana Territory acquired? Jefferson had authorized Livingston only to purchase New Orleans. The Louisiana Purchase was a land purchase made by United States president, Thomas Jefferson, in 1803. Who sold the Louisiana Territory to the Jefferson? Both present-day Arkansas and Missouri already had some slaveholders in the 18th and early 19th century. Furthermore, the Spanish prime minister had authorized the U.S. to negotiate with the French government "the acquisition of territories which may suit their interests." Some French leaders predicted that eventually the Louisiana territory would revolt in a bid for independence following the principles of the American Revolution. France ceded the territory to Spain in 1762 in the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau. This gave Jefferson and his cabinet until October, when the treaty had to be ratified, to discuss the constitutionality of the purchase. This, together with the successful French demand for an indemnity of 150 million francs in 1825, severely hampered Haiti's ability to repair its economy after decades of war. The . The territory also was only loosely under French control having just been transferred from Spain in 1800. Instead, the area encompasses 15 states and two Canadian provinces according to today's terms. The treaty also recognized American rights to navigate the entire Mississippi, which had become vital to the growing trade of the western territories. However, Livingston was certain that the United States would accept the offer.[16]. The British would have likely garrisoned New Orleans and would have occupied it for a very long time because they and their ally Spain did not recognize any treaties and land deals conducted by Napoleon since 1800, especially the Louisiana Purchase. The French loss of Saint-Domingue sent a shudder through the world. The Library of Congress explains how President Thomas Jefferson realized the precariousness of having France as a neighbor. In November 1803, France withdrew its 7,000 surviving troops from Saint-Domingue (more than two-thirds of its troops died there) and gave up its ambitions in the Western Hemisphere. It was the French who sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. However, one has to question whether the French ruler considered the consequences of selling France's interest in Louisiana. On April 30, 1812, exactly nine years after the Louisiana Purchase agreement was made, the first of 13 states to be carved from the territoryLouisianawas admitted into the Union as the 18th . was a self-trained military genius who won the battle of New Orleans from the British The Treaty of Ghent represented: a substantial victory for the United States a substantial victory for the British a return to conditions as they were prior to the war a diplomatic coup for Napoleon a return to conditions as they were prior to the war It was the first and only time that a slave revolt had seen such success, and this epochal event in San-Domingue is linked with the Louisiana Purchase. President Jefferson's Secretary of the Treasury. [4] The colony was the most substantial presence of France's overseas empire, with other possessions consisting of a few small settlements along the Mississippi and other main rivers. As detailed by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Americans believed that the acquisition and settlement of new lands to the west were critical to the future development of the country. Napoleon saw in the sale of Louisiana something he needed more than anything else cold, hard cash. 2), which is just what Jefferson did. [62] The U.S. later built or expanded forts along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, including adding to Fort Bellefontaine, and constructing Fort Armstrong (1816) and Fort Edwards (1816) in Illinois, Fort Crawford (1816) in Wisconsin, Fort Snelling (1819) in Minnesota, and Fort Atkinson (1819) in Nebraska.