Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase and Conflicts
There was a dispute over Louisiana. America wanted to place a claim on Louisiana but at the same time France wanted it. The Mississippi River played a huge role in westward expansion and America wanted control of it. America wanted control of the city of New Orleans. Farmers could ship their crops down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and then a ship the goods out to Europe. There was a vast area known as Louisiana that stretched from Canada to Texas and went west from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. Napoleon Bonaparte, leader of France at the time, wanted to take over Louisiana. He hoped to take thousands of French farmers and have them settle in Louisiana. If France was to take over Louisiana, American farmers would have no way of getting their crops down the Mississippi. In the year of 1803, President Jefferson sent Hames Monroe to France to offer to buy New Orleans for $7.5 million. Napoleon was no longer interested in Louisiana. A slave revolt in the French Caribbean led to a defeat of the French troops. Also, France was at war with Great Britain. Therefore, Napoleon no longer needed Louisiana and decided to sell it to America. France and America finally reached a treaty in 1803. America had acquired Louisiana in exchange for $15 million. There were large debates on whether purchasing Louisiana was a good idea. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the U.S. in size but also created money and governing problems. Later on in 1803, the Senate finalized the Louisiana Purchase. The U.S. gained a large amount of land. This is the Louisiana territory and the conflicts that arrived because of it.
Quick Summary:
Who: United States and France
What: Dispute over control of Louisiana Territory/New Orleans
When: 1800-1804
Where: New Orleans and Louisiana Territory
Why: The U.S. wanted control of the Mississippi River and New Orleans to ship goods out to Europe
How: U.S. purchased Louisiana for $15 million
Quick Summary:
Who: United States and France
What: Dispute over control of Louisiana Territory/New Orleans
When: 1800-1804
Where: New Orleans and Louisiana Territory
Why: The U.S. wanted control of the Mississippi River and New Orleans to ship goods out to Europe
How: U.S. purchased Louisiana for $15 million