The Positive And Negative Effects Of The Louisiana Purchase

One of our countries’ many prominent presidents is Thomas Jefferson. During Jefferson’s presidency, numerous events that helped shape our country occurred. These events had positive effects on our country along with negative effects. One popular occurrence that took place throughout Jefferson’s time in office was the Louisiana Purchase. Many people argued that the purchase of Louisiana was unconstitutional and considered it illegal to buy the territory. However, when Jefferson purchased Louisiana it had and still holds a great significance and positive lasting effect on the United States. The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France, where the U.S. acquired 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. In 1803, France offered to sell Louisiana to the U.S. To accomplish this, Jefferson sent secretary Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe to France to negotiate the purchase of Louisiana with Napoleon. Livingston and Monroe were instructed to buy New Orleans and as much land to it’s west for a maximum of $10 million. During this time, Monroe and Livingston were arranging a window on the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans. As mentioned before, Jefferson ordered his diplomats to buy the territory

The Louisiana Purchase was significant towards our country in various ways. The United States gained control over the port city of New Orleans along with the Mississippi River. This was ideal for landing imports and forwarding exports using the river. This purchase also allowed the U.S. to continue its westward expansion and kept us from going to war with France. Not long after the agreement for the Louisiana Purchase was signed, Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore the western territory of the United States. Throughout the exploration, Lewis and Clark discovered unlimited resources and a water route to the