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The Louisiana Purchase
President Jefferson signs
The Louisiana Purchase
was the acquisition by the United States of about 530,000,000 acres
(828,000 sq mi or 2,100,000 km˛) of territory from France in 1803, at the
cost of about 3˘ per acre (7˘ per ha); totaling US$15
million or ₣80 million. Including interest, America finally paid
$23,213,568 for the Louisiana territory. The land purchased contained all
of present-day Arkansas,
Missouri,
Iowa,
Oklahoma,
Kansas,
Nebraska,
Minnesota south of
Mississippi River, much of
North Dakota, nearly all of
South Dakota, northeastern
New Mexico, northern
Texas, the portions of
Montana,
Wyoming, and
Colorado east
of the Continental Divide, and
Louisiana on both sides of the Mississippi River, including the city
of New Orleans. (The Oklahoma Panhandle, and southwestern portions of
Kansas and Louisiana were still claimed by Spain at the time of the
Purchase.) In addition, the Purchase contained small portions of land that
would eventually become part of the provinces of
Alberta and
Saskatchewan.
The land included in the purchase comprises around 23% of the territory of
the modern United States. The purchase was an important moment in the
presidency of Thomas Jefferson. At the time, it faced domestic opposition
as being possibly unconstitutional. Jefferson purchased Louisiana because
he felt uneasy about France and Spain having the power to block American
traders access to the port of New Orleans.
U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1873 Annals of Congress,
House of Representatives, 7th Congress, 2nd Session
Bicentennial
Events
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Centennial
Events
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Webmaster note: All States
participated in some fashion and several foreign governments.
However I have only provided links to the 14 states actually carved from
the Louisiana Purchase in whole or in part, plus Illinois which played a
very important part in the colonization of Louisiana.
Many thanks to Terry for the
Wonderful Centennial Site!
Louisiana Purchase Monuments
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