Homework:
3/12 - Copy passage on the Louisana Purchase and draw map in NB
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE On April 11, 1803, Robert Livingston and James Monroe arrived in France. They were amazed to learn that Napoleon Bonaparte was offering to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. The 885,000 square miles of land would cost the United States 15 million dollars, or about four cents per acre. Livingston and Monroe had not gotten permission to spend 15 million dollars. Since there were no phones or private jets, it would take months to sail back to the United States. They feared that if they waited to hear from President Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte might change his mind. On April 30, 1803, Livingston and Monroe agreed to purchase the entire Louisiana Territory for 15 million dollars. When news of the purchase reached the United States, President Jefferson was surprised. He planned to spend 10 million dollars for the port city of New Orleans. Instead, he received a land package that doubled the size of the United States. President Jefferson asked Congress to approve the sale. Many of the men in Congress were against the purchase. They felt that the Louisiana Territory was a worthless desert. Still, enough men in Congress voted to ratify the Louisiana Purchase. The money to pay for the purchase was borrowed from English and Dutch banks. On December 20, 1803, the United States of cially took possession of the Louisiana Territory. The Louisiana Purchase was one of Thomas Jefferson’s greatest contributions to the United States. Doubling the size of the United States without losing any American lives paved the way for purchasing other territory. As you will soon learn, the Louisiana Purchase also opened the way for Americans to travel West. It wouldn’t take long for the United States to grow and become the most powerful nation in the world.
