Spain transferred the Louisiana territory in 1800 to France who already had a stronger network in place. Jefferson was worried about whether Napoleon's would see this as an opportunity to take control of the continent and Mississippi River shipping. In 1802, he sent James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston to purchase New Orleans and the surrounding coastal areas from France. Jefferson sought to offer Napoleon nearly $10 million for 40,000 square miles of what was essentially tropical environment. Napoleon had already come to an understanding that the French military could not control a vast, unsettled territory, and he was already in need of money to support his war in France. In April 1803, he surprised the negotiators with an offer to sell 827,987 square miles of French territory for $15 million, a stretch of land that would double the size of the United States. Monroe and Livingston accepted the offer and signed the treaty on April 30, 1803.
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Jefferson would unknowingly acquire an expanse of land that would become known as the Bread Basket of world, home to some of the most fertile land on Earth, allowing the new country to rely on itself for food and other
Jefferson would unknowingly acquire an expanse of land that would become known as the Bread Basket of world, home to some of the most fertile land on Earth, allowing the new country to rely on itself for food and other