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. 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. 1) Sloane, William M. The World Aspects of the Louisiana Purchase. The American Historical Review, vol. Louis. [4] The colony was the most substantial presence of France's overseas empire, with other possessions consisting of a few small settlements along the Mississippi and other main rivers. [61], During the War of 1812, Great Britain hoped to annex all or at least portions of the Louisiana Purchase should they successfully defeat the U.S. Aided by their Indian allies, the British defeated U.S. forces in the Upper Mississippi; the U.S. abandoned Forts Osage and Madison, as well as several other U.S. forts built during the war, including Fort Johnson and Fort Shelby. 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. [42], Although the War of the Third Coalition, which brought France into a war with the United Kingdom, began before the purchase was completed, the British government initially allowed the deal to proceed as it was better for the neutral Americans to own the territory than the hostile French. Aside from the strategic reasons, the United States was the best market to sell the Louisiana Territory. In 1718, the French established New Orleans, and scant groups of colonists moved in. [33][35], When Spain later objected to the United States purchasing Louisiana from France, Madison responded that America had first approached Spain about purchasing the property but had been told by Spain itself that America would have to treat with France for the territory.[36]. The Louisiana territory was now worthless to him, and he immediately sought to offload the territory to the United States. [8] In 1801, Jefferson supported France in its plan to take back Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), which was then under control of Toussaint Louverture after a slave rebellion. 22755. Aside from the obvious drive for conquest by Napoleon, he knew that when war started between the two countries, Britain would attempt to take Louisiana. The Louisiana territory would go on to play a central role in the westward expansion of the United States throughout the 19th century. As a result, Napoleon's view of Louisiana transformed from that of an outpost to that of a poker chip, ready to cash in. In 1791, influenced by the ideals of the French Revolution, a slave revolt broke out on Saint-Domingue. On the following day, October 21, 1803, the Senate authorized Jefferson to take possession of the territory and establish a temporary military government. The Louisiana Purchase encompassed 530,000,000 acres of territory in North America that the United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million. The first reason that Napoleon sold the Louisiana territory was that the French government was in need of money. Since 1762, Spain had owned the territory of Louisiana, which included 828,000 square miles. Though the strike never materialized, the United States made it clear it would act with the nations best interests in mindincluding if it came to war. Napoleon sold the territory to the United States for only three cents an acre. They wrote an enthusiasticletter to Secretary of State James Madison: "An acquisition of so great an extent was, we well Know, not contemplated by our appointment; but we are persuaded that the Circumstances and Considerations which induced us to make it, will justify us, in the measure, to our Government and Country.". Browman, David L (2018). Why Did Napoleon Sell the Louisiana Territory? - History in Charts How did Jefferson acquire Louisiana Territory? Who sold the Louisiana Territory to Thomas Jefferson? PBS describes how by 1812, France had increased its army strength to 600,000 men, not to mention the thousands in the navy. Napoleon foresaw the United States as a future ally that could one day match Britain in might. It was the French who sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. The Library of Congress explains how President Thomas Jefferson realized the precariousness of having France as a neighbor. Many Southern slaveholders feared that acquisition of the new territory might inspire American-held slaves to follow the example of those in Saint-Domingue and revolt. Louisiana Purchase - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Overcoming the opposition of the Federalist Party, Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison persuaded Congress to ratify and fund the Louisiana Purchase. So while a slave rebellion helped drive the Louisiana Purchase, the new territory was destined to become a place of suffering and exploitation for the thousands of slaves forced to work there.. The additional land helped lead to the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the various frontier wars and broken treaties with the Plains natives of the late 1800s. 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. Louisiana Purchase - Definition, Facts & Importance - HISTORY French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte ultimately sold the Louisiana territory to the United States for four reasons: the French government needed money, an impending war with Great Britain, the fallout from the Haitian Revolution, and the difficulty in maintaining a North American colony. A watershed event in American history, the purchase of the Louisiana . sold Louisiana Territory to the United States Marcus Whitman missionary family in Oregon Pennsylvania had a Whiskey Rebellion tariff tax on imported goods Cabinet President's team of workers Dolley Madison saved White House treasures Zebulon Pike explored the Louisiana Territory olive branch symbol of peace Francis Scott Key On April 30, 1812, exactly nine years after the Louisiana Purchase agreement was made, the first of 13 states to be carved from the territoryLouisianawas admitted into the Union as the 18th . Today, the 31st parallel is the northern boundary of the western half of the Florida Panhandle, and the Perdido is the western boundary of Florida. 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. Also, Spain's refusal to cede Florida to France meant that Louisiana would be indefensible. sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. According to the memoirs of Franois Barb-Marbois, in what was a prophetic statement foreshadowing the American Civil War, Napoleon said, "Perhaps it will also be objected to me, that the Americans may be found too powerful for Europe in two or three centuries: but my foresight does not embrace such remote fears. [39] New Orleans was the administrative capital of the Orleans Territory, and St. Louis was the capital of the Louisiana Territory. [47] However by December 1803, the British directed Barings to halt future payments to France. is the embryo of a tornado which will burst on the countries on both shores . 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. While Napoleons reasons were valid, his decision to sell the Louisiana territory certainly came as a surprise. Mar 10, 1804 CE: The Louisiana Purchase Is Completed Many members of the House of Representatives opposed the purchase. explored the Louisiana Territory and points west. What is the eagle on the Great Seal holding in his right talon? 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. Timeline of the History of the United States. B. felt that the United States would be the best country to manage the land. 2), which is just what Jefferson did. In a way, this almost came to pass in the War of 1812. Spain had not yet completed the transfer of Louisiana to France, and war between France and the UK was imminent. pp. The purchase doubled the size of the United States, greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically, provided a powerful impetus to . In 1801, Spanish Governor Don Juan Manuel de Salcedo took over from the Marquess of Casa Calvo, and restored the American right to deposit goods. According to the University of Kentucky, slaves outnumbered free people at least 10 to 1. Napoleon saw in the sale of Louisiana something he needed more than anything else cold, hard cash. [citation needed], After the early explorations, the U.S. government sought to establish control of the region, since trade along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers was still dominated by British and French traders from Canada and allied Indians, especially the Sauk and Fox. While Washington was president, the political parties that formed in the United States were the _______ Party, led by Hamilton and the _______ Party, led by Jefferson. Acquiring the territory doubled the size of the United States. The following year, the District of Louisiana was renamed the Territory of Louisiana. It remained in Spanish hands until 1800, when Napoleon Bonaparte negotiated a secret treaty with Spain and took the vast holding back in exchange for tiny Etruria in Northern Italy. Cantonment Belle Fontaine 8051826 The First U.S. Fort West of the Mississippi River. Which three countries controlled the Louisiana Territory? All these soldiers needed to be fed, housed, and paid. 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. But although the Americans never asked for it, Napoleon dangled the entire territory in front of them on April 11, 1803. The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803. Manifest destiny was in full effect. What Napoleon needed was a way to divest himself of the territory while at the same time preventing it from falling into British hands. In January 1802, France sent General Charles Leclerc on an expedition to Saint-Domingue to reassert French control over a colony that had become essentially autonomous under Louverture. They also feared that this would lead to Western states being formed, which would likely be Republican, and dilute the political power of New England Federalists. [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. Monroe, along with the minister to France, Robert Livingston, made the inquiry. However, Livingston was certain that the United States would accept the offer.[16]. From the French perspective, just why did Napoleon sell the Louisiana territory to the Americans? The problem with Saint-Domingue was that its entire economy was supported by and depended entirely upon slavery. Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States because he A As described by Louisiana State University, France even went so far as to send convicts from debtors' prisons to the colony in 1717 in order to increase its settlement. 1803. Who sold the Louisiana Territory to the United states? 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. American Indians were also present in large numbers. [48], A dispute soon arose between Spain and the United States regarding the extent of Louisiana. His strategy was to use Louisiana to supply the flour, salted meat, timber, and other resources necessary to support his troops on the island colony. At the same time, this territorial expansion also allowed for the growth and expansion of slavery in the United States, which finally culminated in the American Civil War. Following French defeat in the Seven Years' War, Spain gained control of the territory west of the Mississippi, and the British received the territory to the east of the river. Saint-Domingue was a powder keg, ready to explode. This made it difficult, when compared to Britain, to obtain the necessary money to wage large-scale wars. The Lewis and Clark expedition followed shortly thereafter. At the time of the Louisiana Purchase Europe was held under a temporary peace as a result of the 1802 Treaty of Amiens. The confederations that are called perpetual, only last till one of the contracting parties finds it to its interest to break them, and it is to prevent the danger, to which the colossal power of England exposes us, that I would provide a remedy. This situation would further expand and strengthen the British empireNapoleons worst-case scenario. The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. Milestones: 1801-1829 - Office of the Historian 53, no. Vente de la Louisiane Expansion of the United States 1803-1804 Modern map of the United States overlapped with territory bought in the Louisiana Purchase (in white) History History Established July 4, 1803 Disestablished October 1, 1804 Preceded by Succeeded by Louisiana (New France) District of Louisiana Territory of Orleans Today part of The two powers were at peace in early 1803, having signed the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, which, as explained by Britannica, ended hostilities between the two nations. Louisiana Purchase, 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 (2,144,520 square km), it was the greatest land bargain in U.S. history. 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. Barings relayed to order to Hopes, which declined to comply, allowing the final payments to be made to France in April 1804. Of 176 electoral votes cast, all but 14 were in his favor. In 1763, Louis XV gave Louisiana to his cousin, Charles III of Spain. The . How did the purchase of the Louisiana territory benefit the United States? [63], The Louisiana Purchase was negotiated between France and the United States, without consulting the various Indian tribes who lived on the land and who had not ceded the land to any colonial power. ' Weegy: Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States because he would have a hard time managing . [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. [45] In 2021 dollars, the $15 million purchase price is equivalent to $336.92million. 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? "Napoleon, Jefferson, and the Louisiana Purchase. Military expenditures accounted for nearly 60% of the overall budget, a staggering number to maintain.2. 50721. Louisiana Purchase, 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 (2,144,520 square km), it was the greatest land bargain in U.S. history. Why did Napoleon Sell the Louisiana Territory? [52] If the territory included all the tributaries of the Mississippi on its western bank, the northern reaches of the purchase extended into the equally ill-defined British possessionRupert's Land of British North America, now part of Canada.
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