[62] The U.S. later built or expanded forts along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, including adding to Fort Bellefontaine, and constructing Fort Armstrong (1816) and Fort Edwards (1816) in Illinois, Fort Crawford (1816) in Wisconsin, Fort Snelling (1819) in Minnesota, and Fort Atkinson (1819) in Nebraska. As Jefferson had written in April 1802 to the U.S. minister in Paris, Robert R. Livingston, it was crucial that the port of New Orleans remain open and free for American commerce, particularly the goods coming down the Mississippi River. The Louisiana Purchase was the start of the United States' incredible expansion from a group of Eastern Seaboard states on the North American continent. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The Louisiana Purchase was one of history's greatest bargains, a chance for the United States to buy what promised to be one of France's largest and wealthiest territories and eliminate a. The money would also be immediately useful to finance his wars. Why happened to Louisiana Territory? Hed planned to send troops to Louisiana to take over the colony, which he had received from the Spanish through a secrettreatyin 1800, in the hopes ofusingthe territory as a trade venue for the commodities produced in Haiti. In a letter, Thomas Jefferson wrote that France's repossession of the territory "is the embryo of a tornado which will burst on the countries on both shores of the Atlantic and involve in it's effects their highest destinies.". I renounce Louisiana. This secret deal did not remain secret for long. Pakenham was ordered to conduct the New Orleans/Mobile campaign even in the middle of the peace negotiations in late 1814. Lucien said that the legislative chambers of the French government would not approve it, to which Napoleon replied that he would do it without their consent. Would that make the United States too powerful? When Joseph continued to object, Napoleon shouted, "You are insolent!" In response, Jefferson sent future U.S. president James Monroe to Paris to aid Livingston in the New Orleans purchase talks. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Then, too, Napolon was gearing up for another campaign against Britain and needed funds for that. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. From March 10 to September 30, 1804, Upper Louisiana was supervised as a military district, under its first civil commandant, Amos Stoddard, who was appointed by the War Department. The treaty called for the return of the vast territory to France in exchange for the small kingdom of Etruria in northern Italy, which Charles wanted for his daughter Louisetta. The U.S. claimed that Louisiana included the entire western portion of the Mississippi River drainage basin to the crest of the Rocky Mountains and land extending to the Rio Grande and West Florida. He added later, "I require money to make war on the richest nation in the world.". As told by Michigan State University, both of them were shocked when the French minister, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, asked how much they would pay for the entire territory. Jefferson considered a constitutional amendment to justify the purchase; however, his cabinet convinced him otherwise. The AdamsOns Treaty with Spain resolved the issue upon ratification in 1821. The purchase originally extended just beyond the 50th parallel. But if Haiti was under the control of the slaves, his plan was for naught. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803.However, France only controlled a small fraction of this area, most of which was inhabited by Native Americans. The superpower had built a vast network of colonies in the Americas, capitalizing on European tastes for coffee, indigo and other commodities. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. In mid-April 1803, shortly before Monroes arrival, the French asked a surprised Livingston if the United States was interested in purchasing all of Louisiana Territory. However, in 1800 Spain had ceded the Louisiana territory back to France as part of Napoleon's secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso. The relatively narrow Louisiana of New Spain had been a special province under the jurisdiction of the Captaincy General of Cuba, while the vast region to the west was in 1803 still considered part of the Commandancy General of the Provincias Internas. The Louisiana Purchase, made 200 years ago this month, nearly doubled the size of the United States. Her book, The Heroine's Bookshelf (Harper), won the Colorado Book Award for nonfiction. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! How did the French Own Louisiana? The jewel of the French overseas empire was Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean, which is today's Haiti on the large island of Hispaniola. When Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, he altered the shape of a nation and the course of history. Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. [citation needed]. By doubling the size of the U.S., the purchase added vast swaths of territory that, pro-slavery advocates argued, should be filled with slaves. In 1718, the French established New Orleans, and scant groups of colonists moved in. In 1791, influenced by the ideals of the French Revolution, a slave revolt broke out on Saint-Domingue. [5], Following the establishment of the United States, the Americans controlled the area east of the Mississippi and north of New Orleans. France sold the Louisiana Territory to fund its European wars. As a result, Napoleon's view of Louisiana transformed from that of an outpost to that of a poker chip, ready to cash in. 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. France wanted to sell the Louisiana Territory to raise funds for Napoleon Bonaparte's war effortsin Europe and to cut its losses in the Americas after losing its colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti). What kind of world were Jefferson and Napolon living and working in? [64], The purchase of the Louisiana Territory led to debates over the idea of indigenous land rights that persisted into the mid 20th century. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million and nearly doubled the size of the U.S. But an elated Livingston was aware that nearly doubling the size of America would make it a major player on the world scene one day, and he permitted himself some verbal euphoria: We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our whole lives, he said. In legislation enacted on October 31, Congress made temporary provisions for local civil government to continue as it had under French and Spanish rule and authorized the President to use military forces to maintain order. 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. By April 30, 1803, they hashed out an agreement where the Americans would pay $15 million, a considerable reduction, although its constitutionality was debated. You have come to a very corrupt world, Napolon told him frankly, adding roguishly that Talleyrand was the right man to explain what he meant by corruption. Bruce Kauffmann is a historian, syndicated columnist, author, and speaker. There never was a government in which less could be done by negotiation than here, a frustrated Livingston wrote to Madison on September 1, 1802. France wanted to end Louvertre's rule and reinstate slavery. Learn more about Erin and her work at erinblakemore.com. This respite gave Napoleon breathing room in his failed attempt to recover Saint-Domingue. But Napoleoncouldnt abide the idea of the island being controlled by former slaves. Jefferson soon commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, to explore the territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. But Livingston, although an inexperienced diplomat, tried to keep himself informed about the country to which he was ambassador. Also, many Federalists were speculators in lands in upstate New York and New England and were hoping to sell these lands to farmers, who might go west instead, if the Louisiana Purchase went through. New Orleans and Louisiana west of the Mississippi were transferred to Spain in 1762, and French territories east of the Mississippi, including Canada, were ceded to Britain the next year. U.S. ownership of the whole Louisiana Purchase region was confirmed in the Treaty of Ghent (ratified in February 1815) and guaranteed on the battlefield at the decisive Battle of New Orleans when the British sent over 10,000 of the best British Army soldiers to try to take New Orleans in a 5 month long campaign starting from September 1814 (First Battle of Fort Bowyer) to February 1815 (Second Battle of Fort Bowyer). This would allow the Americans to retain clear access to the river. In a letter to U.S. minister to France Robert Livingston, President Thomas Jefferson stated, The day that France takes possession of New Orleanswe must marry ourselves to the British fleet and nation.. He was in a hurry to get some money for the depleted French treasury, although the relatively modest price shows that he was had in that deal. However, France's failure to suppress a revolt in Saint-Domingue, coupled with the prospect of renewed warfare with the United Kingdom, prompted Napoleon to consider selling Louisiana to the United States. Throughout this time, Jefferson had up-to-date intelligence on Napoleon's military activities and intentions in North America. [21] The Louisiana Territory was vast, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to Rupert's Land in the north, and from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west. Advertising Notice Why did France sell Louisiana? Browman, David L (2018). As it turns out, France, or more accurately its ruler Napoleon Bonaparte, had some good reasons for doing it. [56] The maps and journals of the explorers helped to define the boundaries during the negotiations leading to the AdamsOns Treaty, which set the western boundary as follows: north up the Sabine River from the Gulf of Mexico to its intersection with the 32nd parallel, due north to the Red River, up the Red River to the 100th meridian, north to the Arkansas River, up the Arkansas River to its headwaters, due north to the 42nd parallel and due west to its previous boundary. 1. [51] The dispute was ultimately resolved by the AdamsOns Treaty of 1819, with the United States gaining most of what it had claimed in the west. This success stuck in Napoleon's craw. Nobody really knows what post-victory plans for New Orleans and Upper Louisiana were given by the British government to Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and his second-in-command Major General Samuel Gibbs because both generals were killed in action at the Battle of New Orleans. He was compelled to do so primarily because France urgently needed funds for an imminent war with Britain. Why did France give Louisiana to Spain? pp. 20 Why did France no longer need Louisiana quizlet? In return for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile, the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000sqmi (2,140,000km2; 530,000,000 acres) in Middle America. Although the purchase was undeniably a bargain, the price was still more than the young U.S. treasury could afford. There was no arguing with Napoleon, who would, after all,crown himself Emperor in 1804. On January 1, 1804, Haiti declared its independence. "[29] The sale of course was not "worthless"the U.S. actually did take possession. [27], Spain protested the transfer on two grounds: First, France had previously promised in a note not to alienate Louisiana to a third party and second, France had not fulfilled the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso by having the King of Etruria recognized by all European powers.
why did france sell louisiana