{"data":{"description":"Archiving Early America - Louisiana Purchase Treaty","title":"Louisiana Purchase Treaty","post_type":"page","content":"\u003ch2 style=\"color: #ad8431;\"\u003eJefferson Expands The Nation\r\nLargest Single Land Purchase in U.S. History\u003c/h2\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFor \u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/jefferson-primer/\"\u003ePresident Thomas Jefferson\u003c/a\u003e it was a diplomatic and political triumph. In one fell swoop the \u003cstrong\u003epurchase of Louisiana\u003c/strong\u003e ended any \u003cstrong\u003ethreat of war with France\u003c/strong\u003e and opened up the land west of the Mississippi to settlement.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eInitially Jefferson, through his Minister to France, Robert Livingston, offered Napoleon \u003cstrong\u003e$2 million for a small tract of land\u003c/strong\u003e on the lower Mississippi. There Americans could build their own seaport. Impatient at the lack of news, Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to offer $10 million for New Orleans and West Florida. Almost at the same time, and unbeknownst to Jefferson, France had offered \u003cstrong\u003eall of Louisiana\u003c/strong\u003e to Livingston for \u003cstrong\u003e$15 million\u003c/strong\u003e.By any measure the purchase of Louisiana was the most important action of Jefferson's two terms as president. Jefferson knew that acquiring the \u003cstrong\u003every heart of the American continent\u003c/strong\u003e would prove to be the key to the future of the United States.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThough the transaction was quickly sealed, there were those who objected to the purchase on the grounds that the Constitution did not provide for purchasing territory. However, Jefferson temporarily set aside his idealism to tell his supporters in Congress that \"what is practicable must often control what is pure theory.\" The majority agreed.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eJefferson later admitted that he had stretched his power \"till it cracked\" in order to buy Louisiana, the \u003cstrong\u003elargest single land purchase in American history\u003c/strong\u003e. As a result, generations of Americans for nearly 200 years have been the beneficiaries of Jefferson's noble vision of America and his efforts at expanding the continent.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"hr\" style=\"color: #990000;\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\r\n\u003ctable style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\r\n\u003ctbody\u003e\r\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\r\n\u003c/table\u003e\r\n\u003cul style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/milestone-events/louisiana-purchase-treaty-images\"\u003eThe Louisiana Purchase Treaty\u003c/a\u003e\r\nRead the Original!\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/milestone-events/louisiana-purchase-treaty-text\"\u003eThe complete text version of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/maps/maps/map-louisiana-purchase-1803/map-louisiana-purchase-1803\"\u003eColor Map of the U.S. in 1803\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/maps/maps/map-louisiana-purchase-1803/enlargement-map-louisiana-purchase/\"\u003eBlack and White Map of the U.S. in 1803\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/maps/maps/map-louisiana-purchase-1790\"\u003eMap of the Louisiana Territory in 1790\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003c/ul\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e","menu":[{"path":"lives-early-america","title":"Famous Lives","submenu":[{"path":"lives-early-america/autobiography-benjamin-franklin","title":"Autobiography of Ben Franklin"},{"path":"lives-early-america/ramsays-life-washington","title":"Ramsay's The Life of Washington"},{"path":"lives-early-america/adventures-col-daniel-boone","title":"The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone"},{"path":"lives-early-america/true-story-paul-revere","title":"The True Story of Paul Revere"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"portrait","title":"Portraits"},{"path":"rare-images/last-men-revolution","title":"The Last Men of the Revolution"}]},{"path":"freedom-documents","title":"Freedom Documents","submenu":[{"path":"freedom-documents/bill-rights","title":"Bill of Rights"},{"path":"freedom-documents/declaration-independence","title":"Declaration of Independence"},{"path":"freedom-documents/u-s-constitution","title":"The U.S. Constitution"}]},{"path":"world-early-america","title":"World of Early America","submenu":[{"path":"bookmarks","title":"Early American Bookmarks"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"firsts","title":"Firsts!"},{"path":"rare-images/maps","title":"Maps"},{"path":"rare-images","title":"Rare Images"},{"path":"music1","title":"Music"},{"path":"writings","title":"The Writings of Early America"}]},{"path":"boston-massacre","title":"Boston Massacre"},{"path":"milestone-events","title":"Milestones"},{"path":"early-america-review","title":"The Review"},{"path":"home/teachers-students","title":"Teachers"},{"path":"sitemap","title":"Sitemap"}]},"success":true}