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Summary of the Louisiana purchase
Summary of the Louisiana purchase
The importance of Louisiana Purchase
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The Louisiana Purchase was one of the chief acquisitions of American History. The purchase single handedly doubled the dimension of the United States and would begin the forming of what we know now as our great nation. The Louisiana Purchase however was almost a totally different deal when it was being pursued by the United States. Let’s walk around the bizarre turn of events regarding the Louisiana Purchase.
At some stage in the French and Indian War (1754-63) France ceded French Louisiana west of the Mississippi River to Spain and in 1763 transferred nearly all of its remaining North American holdings to Great Britain. Spain, the once global empire threat no longer, did little to build up Louisiana during the next three decades. In
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After my research on the subject, I find that it was whispered that Napoleon wanted to construct a sugar plant in the Americas. Napoleon’s definitive plan was to recapture the precious sugar colony of St. Domingue from a slave uprising, and then he would go on to use America as the granary for his empire. Once France acquired Louisiana from Spain in 1800 and took possession in 1802, they sent a large French army to St. Domingue and Napoleon was preparing to dispatch another to New Orleans for potential protecting. The smaller American empire was as expected afraid of the more-powerful French winning control of New Orleans. America’s trading and expanding future was on the line and the president knew he had to do something about …show more content…
Little did the president know Napoleon had already given up on his dreams of his plans in Louisiana; this would result in one of the biggest shocks that would be known in American history. When James Monroe arrived in mid-April 1803, he would be surprised to learn that the French would inquire if the United States where interested in purchasing all the Louisiana territories! Napoleon would offer the entire territory of Louisiana for $15 million, but at this moment, we have a problem. You see the amount of $15 million far exceeded what they were approved for from President Jefferson. How could they resist however? They simply “could not” and the deal was agreed
This was something that was really important for trade and the extension to westward. In the 1800s, the Louisiana Purchase is still considered the most important occurrence in the westward being spread out of the U.S. and is a trial to include a different ethnic group. This was the starting point of the encounter with multi-ethnicity boarders. The Louisiana Purchase the way that the nation used to be and had a intense result on what the nation would become later on. The new regions of the purchase demonstrated a notable obstacle to the essentially Anglo-Protestant, young nation known as America. The more south part of the purchase was in result an overseas region. Many the people residing there's origin was African, Mediterranean, and Caribbean. Most of them had a divergent viewpoint of race, law, and government. Admittedly the Louisiana Purchase began the nation's experience with a variety of races that went on and on across the next couple centuries and is still going on to this
The longer Jefferson was in office, the more the Democratic Republicans started to go against their own principles. The acquisition of the Louisiana territory, in 1803, was the most notable achievement of Jefferson's presidency, yet it showed the inconsistency between his actions and his beliefs. Jefferson realized that there was no time for strict constructionalism due to the slow process of the amendment. This purchase violated his constitutional morals and his belief in a weak central government.
The United States acquired the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, thereby gaining control of the Mississippi River, and its watershed at the golf of Mexico. The U.S. government realized how important this was and its potential of becoming a great trading post. By 1812 this area called New Orleans grew as expected in size and importance. In peace it was a commercial outlet and trading center of the western United States.
This transaction would come to be known as the Louisiana Purchase and nearly doubled the size of the new nation. While George Washington and John Adams made efforts at westward expansion, Thomas Jefferson secured the Louisiana Purchase and initiated the Lewis and Clark expedition. According to Wulf, “maybe Lewis would find the huge mastodon roaming across the plains; discover profitable crops, flowers in exotic shapes and sizes, and trees that would soar even higher than those already encountered. Jefferson planned this expedition in the name of science, but it would also be the beginning of a distinctly American glorification of the wilderness” (Wulf, 157). The Lewis and Clark expedition and the Louisiana Purchase had such a significant impact on America’s identity.
Jefferson recognized that the purchase would be “beyond constitutional,” (Jefferson) but his desire to expand America undermined his “legal scruples” (book). The Republicans and Thomas Jefferson supported the acquisition, because it was favorable to the “immediate interests of” the “western citizens” (book). The also believed it would create a more safe and peaceful environment, in a way that would separate French and American authorities. The federalists on the other hand, disagreed with the treaty for various reasons. They were worried that westward expansion would increase wages on the Atlantic coast by “reducing and lowering the value of real estate in their region” (book). The federalists knew that the states to that would be created from the new land would be settled by Jeffersonian Republicans, ultimately establishing a stronger Republican foothold in the country. Despite the feuds between the two groups, the Senate ratified the treaty with a vote of twenty-six to six, and on December 20, 1803, America took possession of the Louisiana
It also allowed for continued easy trade through New Orleans, which was a major motivation to make the Purchase (History). However, it did have its negative consequences, namely that, while France may have sold the land, many Native Americans still considered it their home, and for Jefferson’s plan to fill the land with farmers to succeed, they would have to be removed, additionally much of the wildlife on this frontier suffered. Though this probably would have happened even if Jefferson did not make the purchase, his action did speed up the
The Louisiana purchase was a very significant event in the United States of America that changed the country we live in today. Since, “1762, Spain had owned the territory of Louisiana, between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains” (Office of the Historian). This purchase led to many great things due to the French now having possession over it. Even though the French sold major land in the Louisiana Purchase, the money gained by France and the land acquired by America was a win for both sides of the deal.
This book helped me with finding information about the Louisiana Purchase. It also helped me with all people and things involved in the Louisiana Purchase.
The Indian Removal Act and the Louisiana Purchase was a very important time in the U.S. History and many years to come. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, two major events took place that were turning points for the U.S., The Louisiana Purchase and the Indian Removal Act, these events made an impact socially, economically, and politically. First of all, the United States was out in search of rich soil to plant many fields of cotton. During this search in 1785, they became upon Native Americans who occupied millions of untouched land. In the early 1800s, nearly 125,000 Native Americans disappeared; by the end of the decade, very few Natives remained.
There wasn’t much issue surrounding the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. A war wasn’t even required to acquire the land as document 5 explains. The major problem was that the Federalist Party argued that the Louisiana Purchase was a worthless dessert, and the constitution did not provide for the acquisition of new land or negotiating treaties without the consent of the Senate (Document 5).
The French and Indian war took place between 1754 and 1763. Here between these nine years would serve as the blue print to America’s history and future. “What began as a struggle over territorial rights between British colonist and French settlers became part of an international war between the great powers” (Schwartz, 1). To truly understand the French and Indian war, many must take a look into the past events that caused the dispute between the British and the French. During the year 1498, the British claims to the continent were based on the London Company and the sailing of the waters under the rule of King James I. This is where the British company in the latter half of the seventeenth century, under the crown established a reign or province, extending from seas to sea.
to Europe to try to persuade the British to accept a military alliance should the
Wachal, Barbara Schwarz. "Louisiana Purchase." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003. 162-163. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov.
In 1803 the United States would make the largest and possibly most controversial land purchases in American history, the Louisiana Purchase. During the years leading up to this event the United States was still trying to solidify a national identity. There were two subjects that were causing for division of the new national identity, one being westward expansion. The Northern states and Federalists opposed the idea of westward expansion while the Southern States and the Jeffersonians backed this purchase. Although there was a struggle for a single national identity and this controversial purchase did not aid in finding that single identity, it was still the right decision for the United States. By purchasing this land from the French the United States would not share a colonial boundary with the French who were continuing to gain power under Napoleon. Purchasing the Louisiana Territory would prove to be beneficial for the United States for more reason than one.
President Jefferson was instrumental in the Louisiana Purchase, which secured an area extending from Canada to the Gulf and the Mississippi to the Rockies, for fifteen million dollars. This purchase also led to the planning and organization of the Lewis and Clark expedition. However, the argument over whether or not Florida was included in the Louisiana Purchase caused many sarcastic attacks on Thomas Jefferson from members of congress.