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=The Louisiana Purchase: 1803 =

It was, to mark the words of Thomas Jefferson, the "largest land deal" in history, adding virtually 13 states to the original 13 colonies. But gaining this 828,800-mile expanse of land was no simple feat; it was an intensive game of land-swapping that America only won by sheer luck. Let's take a look at the negotiations, struggles and outcomes of one of the most significant land purchases of the U.S. of all time.

Dates of Expansion


On April 30th, 1803, the U.S. purchased the Louisiana territory from France. Though the purchase was deemed unconstitutional by many Federalist Party, it was carried through nonetheless; the Senate ratified the deal in October 20th, 1803. The U.S. officially took possession through a land-transferring ceremony on December 30 of the same year. So for a clear look at things:

__4/30/1803__: U.S. purchases Louisiana from France

__8/20/1803__: With a 24-9 vote, the Senate ratifies the deal

__12/30/1803__: U.S. officially takes possession of the territory

But the background story for this deal goes long back before these set of dates. Read on!

Background/How and Why
Thomas Jefferson knew that claiming Louisiana was vital for the U.S.: American settlers and traders depended on the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans to transfer their goods efficiently. Not to mention that it was a bit unsettling to have a great foreign power like Spain or France as their next-door neighbor, as shown by this map:



As you can see, the Spanish owned most of the Louisiana territory in 1790. Before them, the French originally owned the Louisiana territory, which stretched from New Orleans along the Missouri River to Montana. But after their loss in the French-Indian War of 1763, they had to give up their territories to Spain and Britain. Luckily, the U.S. made the Pinckney Treaty with Spain in 1795, which allowed American traders access to the Mississippi and the port of New Orleans for commerce. But Spain became increasingly unnerved as time went on; as American business bloomed through New Orleans, they moved closer and closer to Spanish territories. Louisiana was also financially straining on Spain. So when Napoleon Bonaparte offered a nice little Italian kingdom in exchange for giving Louisiana back in the Treaty of Ildefonso of 1800, Spain gladly accepted.

To reiterate: the land went from France->Spain->France again.



So why did Napoleon want Louisiana back yet again? Well, he wanted to continue his pursuit of building a French empire in America. More specifically, he wanted to control the sugar trade of the Caribbeans, and sought to seize its islands in hopes to monopolize the whole trade. Plus, Louisiana would make a perfect warehouse between the islands and France, and stop further American expansion; he could kill two birds with one stone.

Thus, an unsettled Thomas Jefferson sent envoys Robert Livingston and James Monroe with $2 million to secure the port of New Orleans before France did anything else. But alas, it was perhaps too late: before Spain had officially given back Louisiana to France through the Treaty of San Ildefoso, they revoked the rights of American traders to access the port of New Orleans. Americans went into an outrage at this decree, and clamored for war. Jefferson continued to work diplomatically and bumped up his offer to $10 million. He sent the envoys again in 1803 to negotiate with Marquis de Barbe-Barbois, Napoleon's minister of the treasury.

Imagine their surprise when France offered the whole territory to them! What was up with them? Sadly, France's attempts to build an empire in the Americas were failing. A slave revolt took up in Santo Domingo, one of the Caribbean islands, and his soldiers were wiped out by yellow fever. With resources and incentives running out, Napoleon decided that it would be much wiser to sell Louisiana, grab the money, and use it for war in Europe instead. And thus, on April 30th, 1803, America made the Louisiana Purchase for 15 million dollars- that is, 4 cents an acre.



Governmental Approval


The previous governments of the territories all agreed, or at least had to contend with, the negotiations. After all, France was slowly being drained of their resources from fighting in America, and it was clear to everyone that their empire was doomed to fail. Napoleon had no use for Louisiana if he didn't have control of the sugar islands. He was also wary of the looming American threat next to his territory; it was too much financial and diplomatic structure to handle. Napoleon was more desperate to gain the money from the deal and to battle on his war with Britain in Europe, which he had a much better chance of winning. Jefferson, on the other hand, faced a bit of domestic opposition for his purchase. The opposition Federalist Party chided him for making such a rash decision, deeming it "unconstitutional" because the Constitution did not strictly state that a president was allowed to make such a purchase. However, the controversy died out as the majority of the Senate voted for the ratification of the deal.
 * The three negotiators **

Impact on Natives


The Louisiana Purchase set the premises for the beginning of American expansion. Concepts such as 'Manifest Destiny' sprung up to justify the expansion of American settlers towards the west, even if it meant at the expense of Native Americans. Even Jefferson, who respected the Natives, believed that the settlers' priorities came first. Popular opinion was that Native Americans should "make room" for the new settlers, or assimilate into American culture; which meant throwing away all of their Native American roots and heritage. Most did not give into either choice.



The U.S. government negotiated many treaties with the Native Americans, promising them supplies in exchange for their move into reservations. However, these were often violated, as Indians were pushed into increasingly smaller territories. Tribes thus rose up against the government in 'Indian Wars' such as the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876) and Wounded Knee (1890). Native American leaders such as Sitting Bull became icons of the movement against Native American repression.



Sadly enough, these resistance movements became futile under the oppressive hand of the U.S. government. President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830, which virtually allowed him to freely exchange Native American lands for other reservations. This meant numerous relocations for the Native Americans, who had lived in those lands for hundreds to thousands of years. Thousands of Eastern Native Americans died as a result of these relocations, most notably in the case of the Trail of Tears. If they survived the trip, tribes were forced into tiny reservations where they could not keep their natural way of life. Plains Indians, for example, could not continue their nomadic lifestyle hunting buffalos in their reservation. Tribes were stripped of their heritage and dignity.

People of Spanish/French descent, or //creoles//, were also already residing in the Louisiana state itself when new settlers moved in. They were subject to new Anglo-American justice systems, which they vehemently disliked. They especially were unsatisfied with William Clairborne, the envoy sent to govern their area, for "ignoring" their customs and and traditions.

[[image:LPterritory.jpg align="center"]]
=== T he purchase itself was highly beneficial to the U.S. in several ways. American traders now had full access to the Mississippi and New Orleans port, and could carry on with their trading. Not to mention that the purchase added 13 states to the newly established America : including Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, North/South Dakota, parts of New Mexico, parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Louisiana. Thus, the settlers had more access to natural resources embedded in these new regions, such as fertile soil for farming, fur, and mineral ores. The Purchase also opened up access to many waterways in the interior of the continent, such as the Mississippi and the Missouri. These rivers provided invaluable transportation for the settlers, fur traders and merchants of the new territories, who could transfer materials and goods south-west easily. Farming also began to take root in these new lands. Though the territories were primarily deserts, continuous tilling changed the environment into a milder one, increasing rainfall and producing valuable crops such as wheat and corn for the settlers. Increasing numbers of populations also settled in the regions, as settlers migrating towards the California Gold Rush and the Pike Peak decided to settle in the Midwest for its fertile farming lands. ===

Positive/Negative
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States and indeed made the country seem much more significant to the world. After all, size does implicate some sort of power; especially because it implies the diplomatic powers of the U.S. This helped to project an image of impressiveness to the outside world, who had previously just been a "former colony" to most European powers. The Purchase also opened up numerous natural resources and waterways to the U.S., contributing to its economic growth and power. But at the same time, the natives and slaves in the regions were subject to harsher laws and forced to be subject to laws that prioritized white settlers. On the economic and diplomatic standpoint, the Purchase was highly beneficial; but on the moral viewpoint, it was highly damaging. Thus, I think it depends on which perspective you take on it.


 * Bibliography**

"Louisiana Purchase." //Wikipedia.// Web. 27 Aug. 2009. . "Louisiana Purchase." Gateway New Orleans. Web. 27 Aug. 2009. . "The Louisiana Purchase." LSM. Web. 27 Aug. 2009.  "Chapter XXV." Louisiana Purchase. Web. 27 Aug. 2009. . "The Louisiana Purchase." The Lewis and Clark Journey of Discovery. Web. .

http://digilander.libero.it/gipp1/scouts/lupi/indians/sitting-bull.jpg http://thousands2thousands.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/manifest-destiny-3.jpg http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/images/4tear44b.jpg