Section I, 1. Why was Napoleon willing to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States? How did Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase transform America’s understanding of itself and its future? Was it inevitable that the West would become part of a much greater United States? Napoleon Bonaparte, before he decided to sell Louisiana was already facing many problems.…
The Louisiana Purchase was controversial for Jefferson because he wanted to control an empire of liberty and expand across all of America, however he wanted to avoid foreign entanglements as much as possible. Therefore it would be very difficult to expand when Spain had control of Louisiana which was thought to be soon taken over by France, proving to be a rather large obstacle and making avoiding foreign entanglements impossible. The other possibility was that Britain might take Louisiana before France, which would still prove to be a large obstacle. Pluses : Drawbacks - Ability to deposit American produce in New Orleans : - Possible Entanglement with France - Purchase a vast amount of land for very little money : - Possible Entanglement with Britain : : 5. Aaron Burr plotted to have high federalist form a Northern Confederacy which would be pro-Britain and in this way get federalist nomination for the governorship of New York.…
Treaties, expeditions, and purchases expanded the United States’ territory. The Louisiana purchase doubled the size of the United States and allowed Americans to have control of trade over the Mississippi River. In buying the Louisiana purchase, Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on an expedition to map out and explore the new territory. The treaty of Ghent helped secure Jefferson’s purchase by removing the British troops and showing European countries that the United States were independent and powerful. The “pride and achievement” (331) brought much confidence to the Americans.…
This took some negotiation. “One thing that the United States didn’t need in 1803, was land,” (88). From this you can see that they had more than what they knew to do with. Many of the Americans thought that if the United States expanded the bonds of the union would weaken. Before the Louisiana Purchase the Unites…
As all great presidents, many encounter some of the toughest decisions for our nation. Thomas Jefferson has proven this statement true, The Lousiana Purchase seemed to be an obvious dilemma that could potentially make the United States great. Although our nation would succeed, Jefferson had to exam the situation and realize the importance of the circumstances we were in concluding with the Mississippi River. For Thomas Jefferson, many pros and cons were on the line but he had to make his decision based on what benefited our nation’s economic growth, expansion, and Constitution. The Mississippi River played a large role to this negotiation.…
Jeffersonian policies played a key role in westward expansion, 19th century America relied greatly on this growth. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803, more than doubled the size of the U.S. and opened opportunities for trade through New Orleans and the Mississippi. Before this purchase took place, American access to the Mississippi and New Orleans was blocked, resulting in a grave threat to American trade and lifestyle. Gaining access to this land would also open up trade on a large scale, in addition to the growing of civilizations.…
Dear editor, I think that the United States ,Thomas Jefferson, and Congress should buy the Louisiana territory because not only would we get New Orleans and we would get the Louisiana territory which has the Mississippi River. First of all if we buy the Louisiana Territory we would have way more land. It says that there is over half of the U.S. in this purchase. Why would Thomas Jefferson not buy it, who cares if it's not constitutional! I Shirley wouldn't.…
Many saw the Louisiana purchase as a huge waste of money. As stated in document 6, “Jefferson’s political opponents in the Federalist Party argued that the Louisiana purchase was a worthless desert” (Document 6). The Federalist party argued that the purchase was a waste of money because there was nothing there to…
When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, he made a decision that would forever alter the destiny of the United States – something Jefferson was acutely aware of at the time. Although beneficial to the growth of the young nation, the deal was highly controversial within the United States when signed, as Jefferson had seemingly overstepped his executive boundaries as established by the Constitution. Neither the acquisition of such a vast tract of land nor the incorporation of the thousands of foreign citizens already inhabiting the territory were expressly permitted by the Constitution. However, Jefferson went ahead with the deal, believing it crucial to the future of the country.…
It is highly recommended that any American reads this book. For something that at most gets a page worth's' mention, the Louisiana Purchase was actually quite a long, complicated conflict. After reading the book, a sense of respect and gratitude forms for the entire western part of America. It is noteworthy that America had very little control over its destiny. The Louisiana Territory was made for Americans.…
In Document F, Jefferson says “And in any view is not better that the opposite bank of the Mississippi should be settled by our own brethren and children than by strangers of another family?” Jefferson signed 3 treaties and paid $15 million for New Orleans and land to the west of it. The Louisiana Territory finally belonged to the United…
Some historians may analyze the Louisiana Purchase and argue that when Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, he altered the shape of a nation and the course of history. However, there is considerable evidence that shows that the Louisiana Purchase influenced the United States Ideas and policies of citizenship by challenging the social hierarchy, bringing groups together, and establishing a democracy over all of the United States. The addition of the Louisiana territory led to conflicts in the United States. The government was forced to find ways to keep the whole country intact.…
The Louisiana Purchase Thomas Jefferson was an active hero, a spokesman for democracy, and the third president of these United States of America. As president, he was always faced with diversity; whether it was dealing with the Barbary pirates in the middle east, belligerent British trade policies, and even the greatest acquirement of all time: the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana purchase was one of the best procurements that could have happened to this great nation. That is why The purchase of Louisiana held no significant moral dilemmas for President Thomas Jefferson, because it benefited the nation by growing more than double the size of the United states, gave the country complete control of the port of New Orleans, and provided territory…
One of the greatest developments of the 19th century was the Industrial Revolution, as it paved the way for a new way of living in America. New forms of technology and transportation contributed to the increased expansion from the established eastern cities to the western frontier. Although this expansion created many new possibilities, there was still people who felt expansion was detrimental to the nation. Between 1800 and 1855, supporters and opponents of territorial expansion influenced federal government policy by urging the government to act, or not to, on expansion debate that would affect the future of the nation. During the 1800’s, America was ready to expand but the French held control of New Orleans and the Louisiana territory,…
The land from the Louisiana Purchase was just recently acquired and citizens wanted to extend the nation from sea to shining sea. This is a dangerous thought process. Instead of biting off more than it can chew, America should focus on governing and maintaining the land they just got, instead of trying to get even more. After recovering from the War of 1812, the United States should try to keep peaceful relations with the natives. By taking their land, there will be obvious backlash from the natives, which will cost American deaths and money.…