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Louisiana Purchase Pros And Cons

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The Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase was land in North America owned by the French and bought by the United States. Thomas Jefferson the current president in 1803 along with other U.S. ministers, negotiated with France for the purchase of the Louisiana territory. Not everyone agreed with the purchase since the U.S. was already in national debt; yet the buying of the Louisiana territory had more pros than cons. Once the territory joined the U.S., it would expand the USA land by twice its original size. The Louisiana Purchase was a major milestone in not only Thomas Jefferson’s presidency but in America’s history. What exactly was the Louisiana Purchase? The actual Louisiana territory spanned 828,000 square miles east to west from …show more content…

Since the 17th century, France had owned the Louisiana territory. Spain was first in line to attempt to buy the land, but as soon as President Thomas Jefferson saw the opportunity he sent James Monroe to France. James Monroe was the French negotiator for Thomas Jefferson. James Monroe did not arrived in France with the intention of purchasing the entire territory, but French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte offered the whole some for $15 million. President Jefferson was hesitant at first, but he realized there would be a positive outcome in the future if he purchased the territory. On May 2nd 1803 after voted upon by congress, a treaty was signed by President Thomas Jefferson and the authority of the land was transferred to him in December of …show more content…

At the time, the United States only inhibited from the edge of the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. The purchase of the Louisiana territory expanded USA’s land two times its original size. With the purchase of the territory, came the free reign over the Mississippi River, which played a major role in economics and agriculture. The U.S. sailors and merchants relied on the Mississippi River for transportation of their goods. It was inexpensive, safer, and all together more convenient. The Louisiana Purchase also spurred the Westward Expansion movement by President Thomas

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Kimberly Nguyen October 2017 Swanson 9:30 US History Unit 2 First Draft In 1803, Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory, a land deal between the United States and France. “The U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.” Jefferson sent James Monroe along with Robert Livingston to Paris to negotiate. Jefferson gave them a mandate to negotiate up to $10 million for purchase of New Orleans and all or part of the Floridas.

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When purchasing the Louisiana Territory, President Jefferson faced the risk of being prosecuted for violation of the Constitution, which was different from Hamilton’s creation of a national bank because it was illegal. To begin, after the French acquired the Louisiana Territory 1802, Jefferson worried that the French would no longer allow American farmers passage on the Mississippi River or the right to trade at New Orleans, so he sent Robert Livingston to France to negotiate to purchase New Orleans. When Livingston arrived, he was surprised by France’s offer to sell the US the entire Louisiana Territory for just 15 million dollars. Livingston knew he was not authorized to purchase the territory but he also knew that if he waited to ask Congress, the deal might be gone already, so he purchased the territory.

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The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the Louisiana territory by the United States from France in 1803. The U.S. paid fifty million dollars and a cancellation of debts worth eighteen million dollars which averages to less than three cents per acre. The Louisiana territory included land from fifteen present U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The territory contained land that forms Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, portions of Minnesota, large portions of North Dakota; large portions of South Dakota, parts of New Mexico, the northern portion of Texas, the area of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Louisiana Purchase was smart move by the United States.

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795 Words | 4 Pages

Thomas Jefferson during his time in office faced many challenges with the new country. One major challenge and one of the biggest accomplishments during his presidency was the Louisiana Purchase. This turned out to be a huge issue for Jefferson because of the ordeals and the way he wanted to run the government. This was a major conflict in interest for Jefferson because he was a strict constitutionalist and followed it word for word. In the end what he did was completely overstep his powers as president doing what he feared would happen by purchasing the Louisiana territory without any approval from congress for 15 million dollars.

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Despite not having enough money and being in debt, The United States government instead focused on expanding their nation and purchased the Louisiana territory from France. Although seemingly contradictive, the United States government wanted to expand westward despite the costs and when the opportunity presented itself, they took it. The territory of Louisiana was purchased from France for fifteen million dollars during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency in 1803. The Louisiana territory “stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada and from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains” (Give Me Liberty, Eric Foner, pg 310).

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