The Louisiana Purchase Essay examples

While the Spanish surrendered the trans-Mississippi region to the French in 1800, Jefferson decided to acquire more territory at once. He feared that French territory in the United States would bring British war on American soil. As a result, President Jefferson sent James Monroe and Robert Livingston to Paris. Monroe's was given a maximum of ten million dollars to buy New Orleans and as much land east as possible. However, in opposition to Jefferson's wishes, Monroe purchased all of Louisiana for a hefty fifteen million dollars. Although the Democratic-Republicans were in favor of the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson, still in shock of Monroe's settlement, questioned the constitutionality of the treaty. This purchase did not specifically empower the president or Congress to annex foreign territory. This event inevitably led to the Hartford Convention of 1815, in which contradicted Jefferson's purchase(Doc E).

The Louisiana Purchase was a seminal event for a new nation that caused heated debates to just how constitutional this deal of land was. Due to Jefferson’s familiarity with the French during his time in France as an American envoy. Another factor that led Jefferson to purchase of this vast land, was his understanding of the potential dangers of the French military. Posted on the Mississippi River, controlling the ports, and what can enter and leave, this would make trade for the United States much more difficult. The deal was instantly popular but soon found

Before, the war in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson acquired land from the French for $15 million. This was best known as the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States it stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to New Orleans.

The Decisions made to buy the Louisiana Purchase were tough; however, in the end the Louisiana Purchase was the most important land purchase in American history. In 1803 the United States had seventeen states along with the Northwest Territory. America still had not reached its potential growth, even though the states were still growing with settlers, until after the Louisiana Purchase. The president at this time was Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s decision would soon be the birth of our nation, as well as be the largest land purchase in American history.

The Louisiana Purchase was a land sale between France and the United States in the year of 1803. In our history it is known as one of the largest land transactions to ever occur. The United States Congress decided to pay, “approximately $15 million dollars to France for over 800,000 square miles of land”. (www.thoughtco.com/jefferson-and-the-louisiana-purchase-104983) This became Thomas Jefferson’s greatest accomplishment through his presidency. By achieving this purchase it also posed a huge problem for the president. He knew the purchase would not be easy as it brought many dilemmas for him. His strong beliefs in “strict constructionism” brought about problems with the Constitution and money issues while trying to purchase. As well as hypocritical arguments with Alexander Hamilton over their opposed views.

Imagine you are the President of a rapidly expanding country. If you got offered 530 million acres of land for $15 million, would you buy it? President Thomas Jefferson and his advisers were faced with this exact decision. Thomas Jefferson, envious of France’s New Orleans, sent Monroe and Livingston to Paris with the hope of at least getting the port rights to New Orleans, if incapable of buying it with a budget of $9.3 million. When Livingston and Monroe reached Paris, they were surprised to find Napoleon and his French government not only willing to sell, but almost forcing a sale on the American ambassadors. Not only that, they wanted to sell all 830,000 square miles of the Louisiana Territory, including New Orleans. Constantly expanding and exploring, Livingston and Monroe knew America needed more room to grow. 530 Million acres worth of land would be more than sufficient for 1803 America. At 3 cents per acre, the Louisiana Purchase was a great deal as far as cost is concerned. Before they had even signed the contract sealing the deal, President Thomas Jefferson had already recruited a close friend and fellow botanist, Meriwether Lewis to explore the new Territory. Before the public even knew about the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition had set out. The Louisiana Purchase was a good idea because it provided room for rapidly-expanding America to grow and explore at an incredibly low price but also increased America’s global prowess.

New American settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains depended on river transportation to transport their goods because overland trade was very expensive and impractical. Also, the United States wanted a tract of land on the lower Mississippi. James Monroe, the primary negotiator in Paris, was empowered to obtain New Orleans and West Florida for anywhere between two and ten million dollars. Surprisingly, however, Napoleon offered much more. The United States was given the opportunity to buy the Louisiana Territory, which stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. This one transaction doubled the physical size of the United States and cost our nation fifteen million dollars. Fifteen million dollars came out to approximately three cents an acre. Now this seems like a relatively small sum for such a massive amount of land, but it was still a gigantic price tag for the modest federal budget of the day.

The Louisiana Purchase was the most important event of President Thomas Jefferson's first Administration. In this transaction, the United States bought 827,987 square miles of land from France for about $15 million. This vast area lay between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, stretching

The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was one of the greatest achievements of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. This purchase almost doubled the size of the United States territory. The area of land was purchased from France, which removed the potential threat of France being an enemy with control of New Orleans.

Some argued that the purchase was unconstitutional because the Constitution didn’t say that Jefferson could purchase the land. Others argued that the purchase was indeed constitutional because the Constitution didn’t say Jefferson couldn’t purchase the land. Also, like said above, Jefferson had an aversion to big moves by the central government. Again, he compromised his beliefs by purchasing a territory from a foreign nation (obviously a huge move by the central government (not by the states)). It is seemingly understandable, however, that Jefferson decided to compromise his beliefs. He was afraid that the French would give up the deal in the time it would take to pass an amendment saying that he could purchase the land. Jefferson also resolved the issue (of constitutionality, his personal beliefs, etc.) by deciding that the growth of the nation (at a modest price) was more important than his own political aversion to big moves by the central government. In addition, Jefferson seemed to have purchased the land in order to protect the United States. First off, Spain’s agreement to give Louisiana back to the French compromised Pinckney’s Treat, which gave the United States access to the Mississippi River. Also, he feared that Napoleon, if he had control over the territory, would close off New Orleans to the United States

During the year of 1803, America made a decision that would ultimately change the way of life for the United States forever, and this decision is known as the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase consisted of 800,000 square miles being bought by the United States from France for an amount of $15 million. Thomas Jefferson felt that the United States could be in jeopardy in American interests because Spain returned the territory of Louisiana back to France with the Treaty of San Ildefono in 1800. France was expecting to head into war with England and needed the money for war expenses. Part of this vast land purchased would be later known as the state of Arkansas; however, before Arkansas was a state it was part of the District of Louisiana

Louisiana Purchase, the western half of the Mississippi River basin purchased in 1803 from France by the United States, at less than three cents per acre for 828,000 square miles. It was the greatest land bargain in U.S. history. The purchase doubled the size of the United States, greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically, provided a powerful impetus to westward expansion, and confirmed the doctrine of implied powers of the federal Constitution. The Louisiana Territory had been the object of Old World interest for many years before 1803. Many Explorations and scattered settlements in the 17th and 18th centuries would give France control over the river and title to most of the Mississippi valley. The first serious disruption

Jefferson conducted one of the largest territory gains in United States history with the Louisiana Purchase. Louisiana was France territory, originally from Spain; and Napoleon was already eager to sell because his empire was expanding and needed money, especially from the loss at Santo Domingo. France did not want Britain to take Louisiana because they controlled the seas.

The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 is known as President Thomas Jefferson’s greatest feat. However, this treaty that resulted in the doubling of the size of the United States was not Jefferson’s initial objective. The main concern was France’s possession of New Orleans, an important shipping port to the American economy. Upon the news that American free use of the port has been violated, the Americans were split into those who would have peaceful negotiations with France like the more pacifist Jefferson, and those like Jefferson’s Federalist rival, Alexander Hamilton, who would rather be aggressive with foreign nations. To Thomas Jefferson, American control over the continent and its own economy independent of foreign countries can be achieved

Louisiana Territory was a French settlement which bestowed many benefits to France in regard to trade through the port of New Orleans. In the endeavor to protect the American shipments and settlements around the Missouri River and New Orleans, Jefferson negotiated with France to acquire the territory. Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France, first refused but was left with no alternative than to sell the territory in order to accumulate money to prosecute his ongoing wars with Britain and other European powers. In 1803, the territory brought from France become known as the Louisiana Purchase and was open to disclosure. Jefferson first proposed the exploratory expedition even before Napoleon offered to sell France’s American territory. He had always tried to initiate a western expedition since 1792, and his tenacity to discover the land had only grown since he became the president in 1801. With much curiosity, he funded Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, captains in the army, to explore the vast land of the West. Their expedition would explore the uncharted geography of the West, the lives and languages of the Native Americans, discover unfamiliar plants and animals, and find a water route to the Pacific.