who sold the louisiana territory to the united states
The Lewis and Clark expedition followed shortly thereafter. Napoleons spot on the French throne was not guaranteed and he had neither the time nor resources to wait for the Louisiana territory to bear fruit with war in Europe once again looming. The Louisiana Purchase was the start of the United States' incredible expansion from a group of Eastern Seaboard states on the North American continent. Napoleon informed his brothers of the sale and asked for their opinion. The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804) traveled up the Missouri River; the Red River Expedition (1806) explored the Red River basin; the Pike Expedition (1806) also started up the Missouri but turned south to explore the Arkansas River watershed. D. was forced to sell the land after losing a war to the United States. [48], A dispute soon arose between Spain and the United States regarding the extent of Louisiana. The purchase doubled the size of the United States, greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically, provided a powerful impetus to . JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2123552. William Marbury. They wanted the U.S. government to establish laws allowing slavery in the newly acquired territory so they could be supported in taking their slaves there to undertake new agricultural enterprises, as well as to reduce the threat of future slave rebellions. Why Did Thomas Jefferson Buy The Louisiana Territory? The main issue for the Americans was free transit of the Mississippi out to sea. Timeline of the History of the United States. As tensions in Europe continued to grow, the unprofitable territory seemed to be more of a liability than asset. [32] The Senate quickly ratified the treaty, and the House, with equal readiness, authorized the required funding, as the Constitution specifies. Earlier in 1803, Francis Baring and Company of London had become the U.S. government's official banking agent in London following the failure of Bird, Savage & Bird. Jefferson's philosophical consistency was in question because of his strict interpretation of the Constitution. As told by Michigan State University, both of them were shocked when the French minister, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, asked how much they would pay for the entire territory. The Louisiana territory would go on to play a central role in the westward expansion of the United States throughout the 19th century. The Sac and the Fox lived on the northern Mississippi River, the Osage on the Missouri River and on the Arkansas River in present eastern Oklahoma, and the Quapaw at the . As explained by Medium, in 1803, even before final Haitian independence, it had dawned on Napoleon that his prospects for developing an American empire were growing increasingly faint. According to the Library of Congress, the Louisiana Territory was mainly ignored by the French government and remained unprofitable. Both Federalists and Jeffersonians were concerned over the purchase's constitutionality. Those troops saw initial success and captured the rebellions esteemed leader, Toussaint Louverture, though ultimately they could not fully suppress the rebellion. In return for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile, the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000sqmi (2,140,000km2; 530,000,000 acres) in Middle America. While Napoleon had his reasons for the sale of the Louisiana territory, the treaty has gone down in history as one of the most impactful for the United States. [57] As states organized within the territory, the status of slavery in each state became a matter of contention in Congress, as southern states wanted slavery extended to the west, and northern states just as strongly opposed new states being admitted as "slave states." There was also concern that an increase in the number of slave-holding states created out of the new territory would exacerbate divisions between North and South. This sale was made under the direction of Napoleon's government in order to help France pay for their war materials. Critics in Congress worried whether these "foreigners", unacquainted with democracy, could or should become citizens. The Louisiana Territory That Was Sold. Without sufficient revenues from sugar colonies in the Caribbean, Louisiana had little value to him. Louisiana under Spanish control fared little better. Knowing that war was imminent, Napoleon sensed two opportunities by selling the Louisiana territory. Louisiana Purchase - Wikipedia Instead, the area encompasses 15 states and two Canadian provinces according to today's terms. History in Charts is a website dedicated to writing about historical topics and diving deeper into the data behind different events, time periods, places, and people. The final price after the 15-year bonds were paid was $27 million, still a very good deal for the United States, and not really a bad one for Napoleon, considering the pressure he was under to dump the territory. [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. Ambitions ruined, the French forces admitted defeat and returned home. How was the Louisiana Territory acquired? Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States because he A Where did the Louisiana Purchase come from? - KnowledgeBurrow.com Louisiana Purchase | Definition, Date, Cost, History, Map, States Regardless of its legality, Smithsonian Magazine details how in order to finance the transaction, several British banks actually bought the territory and turned it over to the United States in exchange for bonds at 6% interest. But in early 1803, continuing war between France and Britain seemed unavoidable. The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. As a result, the State Department describes how the president began military preparations along the Mississippi and sent James Monroe to France with authorization to buy New Orleans and West Florida for up to $10 million. While 3-4 cents an acre was not a massive deal, from Napoleons perspective he received a large sum of money for land he had just received and had virtually no control over. [57], The Louisiana Territory was broken into smaller portions for administration, and the territories passed slavery laws similar to those in the southern states but incorporating provisions from the preceding French and Spanish rule (for instance, Spain had prohibited slavery of Native Americans in 1769, but some slaves of mixed African-Native American descent were still being held in St. Louis in Upper Louisiana when the U.S. took over). JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25723883. Acquisition of Louisiana was a long-term goal of President Thomas Jefferson, who was especially eager to gain control of the crucial Mississippi River port of New Orleans. 5057. Native Americans way of life was forever changed by the unrelenting encroachment of American settlers. The territory's boundaries had not been defined in the 1762 Treaty of Fontainebleau that ceded it from France to Spain, nor in the 1801 Third Treaty of San Ildefonso ceding it back to France, nor the 1803 Louisiana Purchase agreement ceding it to the United States.[49]. What was one reason the napoleon sold the Louisiana territory to the united states 2 See answers Advertisement JaxonA One reason Napoleon sold it because he needed the money. A treaty, dated April 30 and signed May 2, was then worked out that gave Louisiana to the United States in exchange for $11.25 million, plus the forgiveness of $3.75 million in French debt. The following year, the District of Louisiana was renamed the Territory of Louisiana. Even if the British did not seize the territory, the United States also posed a significant future threat. A group of Northern Federalists led by Senator Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts went so far as to explore the idea of a separate northern confederacy. To read more on what we're all about, learn more about us here. Monroe, along with the minister to France, Robert Livingston, made the inquiry. According to the University of Kentucky, slaves outnumbered free people at least 10 to 1. Napoleon quipped after the Louisiana treaty: Napoleon was correct in that the Jeffersonian Democrats favored closer relations with France over Spain. [50] Spain insisted that Louisiana comprised no more than the western bank of the Mississippi River and the cities of New Orleans and St. Already at the time, American frontier settlers slowly trickled into the territory. France turned over New Orleans, the historic colonial capital, on December 20, 1803, at the Cabildo, with a flag-raising ceremony in the Plaza de Armas, now Jackson Square. When the United States found out that instead of Spain as their neighbor, it was to be France under Napoleon with imperial ambitions, the Americans feared that their access to the Mississippi would be cut off. [22] In 1804 Haiti declared its independence; but fearing a slave revolt at home, Jefferson and the rest of Congress refused to recognize the new republic, the second in the Western Hemisphere, and imposed a trade embargo against it. In order to finance his dreams of conquest, Napoleon needed money to finance his military operation, which had been growing in an arms race with Britain. 2) White, Eugene Nelson. On April 11, 1803, just days before Monroe's arrival, Barb-Marbois offered Livingston all of Louisiana for $15million,[13] which averages to less than three cents per acre (7/ha). Jefferson had authorized Livingston only to purchase New Orleans. Because of this favored position, the U.S. asked Barings to handle the transaction. The Real Reason France Sold The Louisiana Territory To The United States, National Museum of American History/Wikimedia Commons, National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia Commons. France ceded the territory to Spain in 1762 in the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau. The Louisiana territory was now worthless to him, and he immediately sought to offload the territory to the United States. Adams' Vice President 4. went to France to purchase New Orleans 5. sold Louisiana to the United States 6. explored the Louisiana Territory 1. The scene caused a servant to faint, and when Lucien lingered to try to argue the point, Napoleon said to his brother that if he opposed him he would break him like a snuffbox which he smashed into the floor. Napoleon reported told his Minister of Finance Barbe-Marbois in reference to the Louisiana territory: Second, selling the Louisiana territory to the United States could strengthen the nation and thus provide a counterweight against their British foes. 22755. Napoleon brought stabilization to the regime, though direct taxes on the population made up a sky-high ~60% of all government revenues, compared to just 30% pre-revolution.2, In addition, Napoleons government maintained a large standing army to protect the nation and ward off enemies. From the French perspective, just why did Napoleon sell the Louisiana territory to the Americans? First, as mentioned before, France needed more money for the impending war and to concentrate its resources on Europe. Answer and Explanation: 50721. Copyright 2023 History in Charts | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. The Kingdom of France had controlled the Louisiana territory from 1699 until it was ceded to Spain in 1762. [40], To pay for the land, the American government used a mix of sovereign bonds and the assumption of French debts. History and Geography 807: The Industrial Nat, Social Studies American History: Reconstruction to the Present Guided Reading Workbook, Deborah Gray White, Edward L. Ayers, Jess F. de la Teja, Robert D. Schulzinger, Alan Brinkley, Albert S. Broussard, Donald A. Ritchie, James M. McPherson, Joyce Appleby, Creating America: A History of the United States. Which one of the following men was not a member of Washington's first Cabinet? This exact scenario is what happened to Mexico with their province of Tejas during the Texan Revolution. Furthermore, the French had no administration over the territory and few French settlers lived on the land. Advertisement chelseann013 Answer: He needed money to pay for the war with Britain Advertisement Advertisement [30], Other historians counter the above arguments regarding Jefferson's alleged hypocrisy by asserting that countries change their borders in two ways: (1) conquest, or (2) an agreement between nations, otherwise known as a treaty. To France, it was a backwater sort of like owning Mediterranean Avenue in Monopoly. The House called for a vote to deny the request for the purchase, but it failed by two votes, 5957. Napoleon needed peace with Britain to take possession of Louisiana. Did napoleon make a wise decision when he sold Louisiana to - Answers Everybody who has taken grade-school history knows the story. In a letter, Thomas Jefferson wrote that France's repossession of the territory "is the embryo of a tornado which will burst on the countries on both shores of the Atlantic and involve in it's effects their highest destinies.". This would allow the Americans to retain clear access to the river. Since 1762, Spain had owned the territory of Louisiana, which included 828,000 square miles. Difficulty in Maintaining Louisiana Territory, timeline of the history of the United States, Understanding the Significance of the 1793 Proclamation of Neutrality, The Significance of the 1775 Olive Branch Petition, The Significance of the Corrupt Bargain Election of 1824, The Significance of the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. What reason did Madison give Congress for declaring war in 1812? Without that, the United States' international influence would be less, as would its influence over the development of democracies. Without the profits from Saint-Domingue, it did not make sense to try to defend the sprawling Louisiana Territory, and Napoleon was worried about the British. The U.S. claimed the land as far as the Perdido River, and Spain claimed that the border of its Florida Colony remained the Mississippi River. Without Saint Domingue, Napoleons dreams of a French colonial empire in the Americas were dashed. Of 176 electoral votes cast, all but 14 were in his favor. Some of those other sources included the colonies and in this instance, the Louisiana territory. [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 was assisted by James Monroe. Mexico. Who was President at the time of the Whiskey Rebellion? The Louisiana Purchase and its exploration - Khan Academy How did Jefferson acquire Louisiana Territory? When Joseph continued to object, Napoleon shouted, "You are insolent!" White House 3. In 1791, influenced by the ideals of the French Revolution, a slave revolt broke out on Saint-Domingue. Though Jefferson urged moderation, Federalists sought to use this against Jefferson and called for hostilities against France. According to Slavery and Remembrance, the French imported nearly 800,000 enslaved Africans to the colony for brutal plantation work in what was one of the most violent slavery systems in the Americas. Who sold the Louisiana Territory to Thomas Jefferson? The great expansion of the United States achieved by the Louisiana Purchase did receive criticism, though . The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.. Who claimed the Louisiana Territory for France? [59] In 1808 two military forts with trading factories were built, Fort Osage along the Missouri River in western present-day Missouri and Fort Madison along the Upper Mississippi River in eastern present-day Iowa. Why did France sell Louisiana to the US? Napoleon sold the territory to the United States for only three cents an acre. [4] New Orleans was already important for shipping agricultural goods to and from the areas of the United States west of the Appalachian Mountains. The deal helped Jefferson win reelection in 1804 by a landslide. It was even subject to a speculative bubble which ruined fortunes. What was the result of selling the Louisiana Territory? [citation needed]. Desperate to avoid possible war with France, Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris in 1803 to negotiate a settlement, with instructions to go to London to negotiate an alliance if the talks in Paris failed. Jefferson sent Livingston to Paris in 1801[9] with the authorization to purchase New Orleans. In the 1780s, it produced 60% of the world's coffee and supplied Britain and France with 40% of its sugar. Who sold the Louisiana Territory to the Jefferson? - Sage-Advices What were two reasons for selling the Louisiana Territory to the United II, Sec. Louverture, as a French general, had fended off incursions from other European powers, but had also begun to consolidate power for himself on the island. Francis Baring's son Alexander and Pierre Labouchre from Hopes arrived in Paris in April 1803 to assist with the negotiations. The . [10], In 1803, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, a French nobleman, began to help negotiate with France at the request of Jefferson. Your email address will not be published. As part of the deal, the U.S. assumed responsibility for 20 million francs ($3.75 million) of French debts owed to U.S. citizens. This was possible because the Louisiana territory did not only encompass Louisiana as the state that exists today. Out of anger towards Spain and the unique opportunity to sell something that was useless and not truly his yet, Napoleon decided to sell the entire territory. True False. Barings relayed to order to Hopes, which declined to comply, allowing the final payments to be made to France in April 1804. Why would France decide to give up such a crucial territory for only $15 million, or the bargain basement price of 3-4 cents an acre? The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was a temporary solution. Southern Quarterlynotes, "What is often remembered as a remarkably 'peaceful' transfer of land was in fact predicated on events of enormous violence that took place in the Caribbean.". While Napoleon originally tried to sell the territory for $22 million, the two sides eventually agreed to a sale at $15 million. According to the Library of Congress, Napoleon did not have enough troops to occupy Louisiana while simultaneously subduing Saint-Domingue. The resources and land from theLouisiana territory considerably helped the United States become the global power it is today. While this was just a rumor, he had made up his mind to sell the territory. Nobody really knows what post-victory plans for New Orleans and Upper Louisiana were given by the British government to Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and his second-in-command Major General Samuel Gibbs because both generals were killed in action at the Battle of New Orleans. [citation needed], Governing the Louisiana Territory was more difficult than acquiring it. The French loss of Saint-Domingue sent a shudder through the world. In 1718, the French established New Orleans, and scant groups of colonists moved in. Who was President at the time of the Louisiana Purchase? The purchase included land from fifteen present U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, including the entirety of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; large portions of North Dakota and South Dakota; the area of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide; the portion of Minnesota west of the Mississippi River; the northeastern section of New Mexico; northern portions of Texas; New Orleans and the portions of the present state of Louisiana west of the Mississippi River; and small portions of land within Alberta and Saskatchewan. [58] In a freedom suit that went from Missouri to the U.S. Supreme Court, slavery of Native Americans was finally ended in 1836. Interested in reaching out? U.S. ownership of the whole Louisiana Purchase region was confirmed in the Treaty of Ghent (ratified in February 1815) and guaranteed on the battlefield at the decisive Battle of New Orleans when the British sent over 10,000 of the best British Army soldiers to try to take New Orleans in a 5 month long campaign starting from September 1814 (First Battle of Fort Bowyer) to February 1815 (Second Battle of Fort Bowyer). Who sold the massive Louisiana Territory to the United States? True False, Federalists believed in a strict following of the Constitution exactly as it was worded. Jefferson, as a strict constructionist, was right to be concerned about staying within the bounds of the Constitution, but felt the power of these arguments and was willing to "acquiesce with satisfaction" if the Congress approved the treaty. Andrew Jackson. Slaves were routinely terrorized in a race-based social order. Napoleon foresaw the United States as a future ally that could one day match Britain in might. Upon word of the Louisiana territory transfer from Spain to France, some hot-headed members of Congress proposed a preemptive strike against New Orleans. In the year of 1803, the Louisiana purchase occurred. Francis Scott Key. The former slaves fought the French forces to a standstill while yellow fever and malaria outbreaks decimated the French invaders. "[19] On July 4, 1803, the treaty was announced,[20] but the documents did not arrive in Washington, D.C. until July 14. The first plan of government used by the United States was under the: Who was the President at the time of the Alien and Sedition Act? [citation needed], During this period, south Louisiana received an influx of French-speaking refugee planters, who were permitted to bring their slaves with them, and other refugees fleeing the large slave revolt in Saint-Domingue. But although the Americans never asked for it, Napoleon dangled the entire territory in front of them on April 11, 1803. The first westward surge of the settlement reached the: What did the South receive in the compromise over the war debts between Hamilton and Jefferson? The Louisiana Purchase had major consequences for the United States. dollar. [5], Following the establishment of the United States, the Americans controlled the area east of the Mississippi and north of New Orleans. The American representatives were prepared to pay up to $10million for New Orleans and its environs but were dumbfounded when the vastly larger territory was offered for $15million.