The Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase

• Louisiana Territory purchased for $15 million.
• Jefferson reluctantly accepted the treaty.

Constitutional Concerns

• Questions raised about the constitutionality of the purchase.
• Jefferson proposed an amendment to the Constitution.
• Advisors urged immediate action.
• Federalists opposed purchase:
  • Called it unconstitutional.
  • Concerns about soaring debt.

Reasons for Sale by Napoleon

• Napoleon sold the entire Louisiana Territory due to:
  1. Uprising in Haiti draining French resources.
  2. Need for cash for European conquests.
  3. Desire to avoid having the U.S. as an enemy.

Significance of the Louisiana Purchase

• Considered the most important land purchase in U.S. history.
• Doubled the size of the U.S. for approximately 3 cents/acre.
• Provided control over the Mississippi River.
• Enabled Western expansion.
• Federalists were becoming increasingly limited to New England.