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The Louisiana Purchase Agreement
The Louisiana Purchase
Agreement History Details What states are included in the Louisiana Purchase Size Maps of the Louisiana Purchase Which States
Comprise and make up the Louisiana Purchase Facts
"Let the Land rejoice,
for you have bought Louisiana for a Song."
--Gen. Horatio
Gates to President Thomas Jefferson, July 18, 1803
Louisiana Purchase Agreement
The
Louisiana Purchase
is considered the greatest real estate deal in history. On April 30, 1803, the United States
paid France $15 million for the Louisiana
Territory. For approximately four cents an acre, the U.S. gained 828,000 square
miles of land west of the Mississippi River. The lands acquired stretched from the Mississippi
River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. Thirteen
states were carved from the Louisiana Territory.
The Louisiana Purchase consists of three separate agreements between the United States
and France: a treaty of cession and two
agreements providing for the exchange of monies in the transaction.
The Louisiana Purchase, commonly
called the Louisiana Purchase Agreement, had doubled the size of the United
States, making it one of the largest nations in the world. The inexpensive transfer
of such vast amounts of territory, without war or threats of bloodshed, also made the Louisiana Purchase one of the most
lucrative deals in history.
By signing the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris on April 30,
1803, Robert Livingston and James Monroe had closed on the grandest real estate deal in the young nation's
existence. They were authorized to pay France up to $10 million for the port of New Orleans and the Floridas, but when offered
the entire territory of Louisiana—an area larger than Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal combined—the
American negotiators swiftly agreed to a price of $15 million.
Louisiana Purchase Agreement Map |
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Map of the Louisiana Purchase Agreement |
Although President Thomas Jefferson was a strict interpreter of the
Constitution who wondered if the U.S. Government was authorized to acquire new territory, he was also a visionary who dreamed
of an “empire for liberty” that would stretch across the entire continent. As Napoleon threatened to take back
the offer, Jefferson squelched whatever doubts he had and prepared to occupy a land of unimaginable riches. The Louisiana
Purchase Agreement, or Vente de la Louisiane, consisted of the Treaty of Cession and the two conventions regarding
the financial aspects of the transaction.
As a signature achievement of Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase Agreement between
France and the United States had enlarged the U.S. by 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. For
$15 million, roughly 4 cents per acre, the nation had doubled its size, but with the real estate sequel just 45
years later, the United States would alas extend its borders from sea to shining sea. Thomas Jefferson, who was the
author of the Declaration of Independence and founder of the University of Virginia, had indeed created a precedent for future
administrations with the controversial purchase in 1803.
The Mexican Cession, which was signed on February 2, 1848, was a Treaty
between the United
States and Mexico
that ended the Mexican-American War. For a payment of $15,000,000, the United States received from
Mexico more than 525,000 square miles of land, which form the present-day states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico,
Texas, and Utah. and portions of the states of Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming.
From
the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the fledgling 13 Colonies had expanded westward and from sea
to shining sea in merely 72 years, and by doing so it had henceforth removed the presence of the world powers of England,
Spain, and France. But it all began with Thomas Jefferson's vision and the Louisiana Purchase Agreement in 1803.
Sources: U.S. State Department, Library of Congress, National Archives
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of Independence to victory on the battlefield at Yorktown and the adoption of The United States Constitution, THE REVOLUTION tells the remarkable
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This TEN HOUR DVD Features: History in the Making: The Revolution Behind-the-Scenes Featurette; Interactive Menus; Scene Selections.
Advance to American Expansionism;
Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine:
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of A People's History of the United States turns traditional textbook history
on its head. Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women, American Indians, war resisters, and poor laborers
of all nationalities into this thorough narrative that spans American history from Christopher Columbus's arrival to an afterword
on the Clinton presidency. Addressing his trademark reversals
of perspective, Zinn--a teacher, historian, and social activist for more than 20 years—explains: "My point is not that
we must, in telling history, accuse, judge, condemn Columbus
in absentia. It is too late for that; it would be a useless scholarly exercise in morality. Continued below…
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controversial, and never dull..."
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and American Sphinx, a masterly and highly ironic examination of the founding
years of our country. The last quarter of the eighteenth century remains the most politically creative era in American history,
when a dedicated and determined group of men undertook a bold experiment in political ideals. It was a time of triumphs; yet,
as Joseph J. Ellis makes clear, it was also a time of tragedies—all of which contributed to the shaping of our burgeoning
nation. Continued below...
From the first
shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase,
Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation’s founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting
alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and
Adams. He casts an incisive eye on the founders’ achievements, arguing that the American Revolution was, paradoxically,
an evolution—and that part of what made it so extraordinary was the gradual pace at which it occurred. He shows us why
the fact that it was brought about by a group, rather than by a single individual, distinguished it from the bloodier revolutions
of other countries, and ultimately played a key role in determining its success. He explains how the idea of a strong federal
government, championed by Washington, was eventually embraced by the American people, the majority of whom had to be won over,
as they feared an absolute power reminiscent of the British Empire. And he details the emergence of the two-party system—then
a political novelty—which today stands as the founders’ most enduring legacy. But Ellis is equally incisive about
their failures, and he makes clear how their inability to abolish slavery and to reach a just settlement with the Native Americans
has played an equally important role in shaping our national character. He demonstrates how these misjudgments, now so abundantly
evident, were not necessarily inevitable. We learn of the negotiations between Henry Knox and Alexander McGillivray, the most
talented Indian statesman of his time, which began in good faith and ended in disaster. And we come to understand how a political
solution to slavery required the kind of robust federal power that the Jeffersonians viewed as a betrayal of their most deeply
held principles. With eloquence and insight, Ellis strips the mythic veneer of the revolutionary generation to reveal men
both human and inspired, possessed of both brilliance and blindness. American Creation is a book that delineates an era of
flawed greatness, at a time when understanding our origins is more important than ever. About the Author: Joseph J. Ellis received the Pulitzer
Prize for Founding Brothers and the National Book
Award for his portrait of Thomas Jefferson, American Sphinx. He is the Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount
Holyoke College. He lives in
Amherst, Massachusetts, with
his wife, Ellen, and their youngest son, Alex.
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Office. From George Washington to George W. Bush, THE PRESIDENTS gathers together vivid snapshots of all 43 Commanders-in-Chief
who have guided America throughout its history--their powerful personalities, weaknesses, and major
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McPherson, THE PRESIDENTS features rare and unseen photographs and footage, unexpected insight and trivia from journalists,
scholars, and politicians such as Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Wesley Clark, Bob Dole, and former President Jimmy Carter.
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and human. Narrated by Edward Herrmann (The Aviator), this three-DVD (6 HOURS) set is a proud addition to the award-winning
documentary tradition of THE HISTORY CHANNELĀ®. DVD Features: Feature-length Bonus Program "All The Presidents' Wives"; Timeline
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Great for the home, family, and classroom…
Recommended Viewing:
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in this set profile America's Founding Fathers, noting right at the outset they
were a "mismatched group of quarrelsome aristocrats, merchants, and lawyers." The story of how these disparate characters
fomented rebellion in the colonies, formed the Continental Congress, fought the Revolutionary War, and wrote the Constitution
is told by noted historians, and the production is enhanced with beautifully photographed reenactments as well as intelligent
use of period paintings and engravings. The story begins with Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Boston, whose protests against British taxation led to the Boston Tea Party. Moving on to
the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, the brilliant
delegates from the South, particularly George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, appear on the scene, and the story is told
of how an improbable cohesion between the colonies began. Continued below…
Other main characters, including Benjamin Franklin and
John Adams, appear in turn, and each of the major participants is portrayed in a biographical profile. How these men all came
to act together, despite the stark differences in their backgrounds and temperaments, becomes the main thread of the story.
They were all quite human, as the historians who appear in interviews remind us. Some of them drank too much, some had illegitimate
children, some owned slaves, and some could hardly get along with anyone. Yet these men with complicated private lives worked
together and performed heroically. This is an intelligently rendered and captivating look at the men who formed the American
nation.
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Studies: The Louisiana Purchase Agreement History, Details, What states are included in the Louisiana Purchase,
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