April 30, 1803: U.S. makes land grab (Louisiana Purchase)
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During the early moments of the nineteenth century, the United States
government wheeled and dealed its way into what is generally regarded
as the "greatest land bargain" in the nation's history, the Louisiana
Purchase.
The deal, which was dated April 30, 1803, though it was in fact signed
on May 2, had been in the works since the spring of 1802. It was then
that President Thomas Jefferson had learned of Spain's decision to
quietly transfer Spanish Louisiana to the French; fearful of the
strategic and commercial implications of the Spanish swap, Jefferson
ordered Robert Livingston, the U.S. minister in Paris, to broker a deal
with the French either for a slice of land on the lower Mississippi or
a "guarantee" of unmolested trans****t for U.S. ****ps.
Negotiations dragged on for months, but took a crucial turn when
Spanish and U.S. trade relations collapsed in the fall of 1802. With
Spain now barring American merchant ****ps from transferring goods at
the ****t in New Orleans, Jefferson set his sights on purchasing a far
larger chunk of land.
In early 1803, James Monroe headed to Paris to broker Jefferson's deal.
With France teetering on the brink of war with Great Britain, and
mindful not only of the fiscal repercussions of such a conflict, but of
the possibility of a renewed U.S.-English alliance, Napoleon's
negotiators acceded to a deal to sell the whole of Louisiana. All told,
the Louisiana Purchase cost the U.S. $15 million: $11.25 million was
earmarked for the land deal, while the remaining $3.75 million covered
France's outstanding debts to America.
Thus, for the prime price of 3 cents an acre, the United States bought
828,000-square miles of land, which effectively doubled the size of the
young nation.
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