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The Louisiana Purchase
In 1682, some French explorers said a large area of land in the New World was theirs.
The land started at the Gulf of Mexico and continued north. They called this land
Louisiana (luu-ee-zee-AN-uh). They named it after their king, Louis XIV. But, the
French people did not want to live there. Only a few French people moved to Louisiana.
They were called settlers.
The king of France wanted Spain to help them in a war against Great Britain. So, he
gave Louisiana to Spain. But in 1800, Spain gave it back to France. Americans were
angry about this change. The French would not let Americans store goods in New
Orleans. New Orleans was a city in Louisiana. The French also did not let Americans
use the Mississippi River. The traders needed this river to move their goods.
In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the United States. The leader
of France was Napoleon Bonaparte (nuh-POH-lyuhn BOH-nuh-part). The French had a
big army. Napoleon might send soldiers to Louisiana. Jefferson did not want to go to
war with France. He sent two men to France. He told them to buy New Orleans.
The French did not want to sell only New Orleans. They wanted to sell all of
Louisiana. Jefferson’s men had not expected that. They offered $8 million. France
asked for $15 million. The men agreed. They signed a document called the Louisiana
Purchase on April 30, 1803.
The new land was called the Louisiana Territory (TAIR-uh-tor-ee). A territory is land
that a country controls. But, the land is not inside the country.
President Jefferson was happy. He wanted to make the United States larger. Now it
was twice as big! Some people said that the land cost too much. But, Congress thought
that the price was right.
The Spanish were mad. They thought Napoleon had cheated them. Spain said that the
United States had paid for stolen land. Thomas Jefferson told them to talk to the French
about it. America would not be put in the middle. Spain backed down. It did not want to
fight France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803. There were
almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of land. The land was explored.
Maps were made. The United States had paid just four cents an acre. It was the best land
deal ever made.
(Circle)
The Louisiana Purchase
In 1682, a group of French explorers claimed a huge area of land in the New World. It
started at the Gulf of Mexico and spread north. They named the area Louisiana (luu-eezee-AN-uh). This was in honor of their king, Louis XIV. The French did not think that
the land was worth much. Only a few French settlers lived there.
The king of France gave Louisiana to Spain in exchange for help in a war against
Great Britain. But in 1800, Spain gave back the land. When the French took over
Louisiana again, they would not let the Americans store goods in New Orleans. New
Orleans was a city in Louisiana. They also told the Americans that they could not use the
Mississippi River. Traders had long used this river to move goods, so the Americans
were angry.
Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third president of the United States in 1801. He
knew that the French leader, Napoleon Bonaparte (nuh-POH-lyuhn BOH-nuh-part), had a
strong army. He might send soldiers to Louisiana. Some people thought that the United
States should fight France. But Jefferson wanted to avoid a war. Instead, he sent two
men to France to buy New Orleans.
These men were shocked when the French offered to sell all of Louisiana. They
offered $8 million for the land. France demanded $15 million. The men agreed to the
higher price. They signed a document called the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803.
The new land was called the Louisiana Territory (TAIR-uh-tor-ee). A territory is land
that a country controls, but the land is not inside the country.
President Jefferson was thrilled. He had hoped to enlarge America. Now it was twice
as big! Some people said that the land was too costly. But, Congress agreed to the sale.
The Spanish were mad. They thought Napoleon had cheated them to gain control of
Louisiana. Spain said that the United States had bought stolen land. Jefferson told them
that this fight was between France and Spain. America would not get involved. So Spain
backed down. It did not want to fight powerful France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803. There were
almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of land to be explored. America
had bought this land for just four cents an acre. It was the greatest real estate deal in
history.
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The Louisiana Purchase
In 1682, a group of French explorers laid claim to a huge area of land in the New
World that started at the Gulf of Mexico and spread north. They named the territory
(TAIR-uh-tor-ee) Louisiana in honor of their king, Louis XIV. The French did not think
the land was valuable, and only a few French settlers lived there.
The king of France gave Louisiana to Spain in exchange for help in a war against
Great Britain. But in 1800, Spain gave back the land. When the French took over
Louisiana again, they refused to let the Americans store any goods in New Orleans. In
addition, they told the Americans that they could not use the Mississippi River. Traders
had long used this river to move goods.
Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the United States in 1801. He knew
that the French leader, Napoleon, had a great army and would not hesitate to send
soldiers to Louisiana. Some people thought that the United States should go to war with
France, but Jefferson wanted to avoid a war. Instead, he sent two diplomats (DIP-luhmatz) to France to buy New Orleans.
The men were surprised when the French offered to sell not just New Orleans, but all
of Louisiana. The Americans offered $8 million for the territory. France demanded $15
million. The men agreed and signed the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803. They
called the new land the Louisiana Territory.
President Jefferson was delighted. He had dreamed of enlarging America, and now it
was twice as big! Some people complained that the territory was too expensive. But,
Congress approved the sale.
The Spanish were furious. They said Napoleon had cheated them to gain control of
Louisiana. They accused the United States of buying stolen land. Jefferson told them
that this fight was between France and Spain. America would not get involved. So Spain
backed down because it did not want to fight powerful France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803. There were
almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of land to be explored. America
had purchased this land for only four cents an acre, making this the greatest real estate
deal in history.
(Triangle)
The Louisiana Purchase
In 1682, a group of French explorers claimed a vast expanse of territory (TAIR-uh-toree) in the New World that started at the Gulf of Mexico and spread north. They named
this land Louisiana in honor of their king, Louis XIV. The French did not think the
territory was valuable, and only a few French settlers lived there.
The king of France gave Louisiana to Spain in exchange for help in a war against
Great Britain, but in 1800, Spain gave back the land. When the French took over
Louisiana again, they prohibited Americans from storing goods in New Orleans or
navigating on the Mississippi River. Traders who had long used this river were left
without a way to move their goods. These new regulations made Americans furious.
In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the United States’ third president. He knew that
the French leader, Napoleon, had a great army and would not hesitate to send soldiers to
Louisiana. Some people thought that the Americans should fight the French, but
Jefferson wanted to avoid a war. He decided to send two diplomats (DIP-luh-matz) to
France to purchase New Orleans.
These men were pleasantly surprised when the French offered to sell not just New
Orleans, but all of Louisiana. The American diplomats offered $8 million for the
territory. France demanded $15 million. The men agreed and signed the Louisiana
Purchase on April 30, 1803. They called the new land the Louisiana Territory.
President Thomas Jefferson was delighted. He had dreamed of enlarging America,
and suddenly it was twice as big! Some people complained that it was too expensive, but
Congress authorized the sale.
The Spanish were infuriated. They said that Napoleon had cheated them to take
control of Louisiana and accused America of purchasing stolen land. Jefferson told them
that they could confront France, but the United States would not become involved in their
dispute. Spain quickly backed down because it did not want to fight powerful France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803. There were
almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of land just waiting to be explored.
America had purchased this immense property for only four cents an acre, making this
the greatest real estate deal in history.