Louisiana purchase what is it

The French were fascinated by America—which they often symbolized in paintings and drawings as a befeathered Noble Savage standing beside an alligator—but they could not decide whether it was a new Eden or, as the naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon declared, a primitive place fit only for degenerate life-forms.

The treaty called for the return of the vast territory to France in exchange for the small kingdom of Etruria in northern Italy, which Charles wanted for his daughter Louisetta. This must have been a wrenching moment for Jefferson, who had long been a Francophile. Twelve years before, he had returned from a five-year stint as American minister to Paris, shipping home 86 cases of furnishings and books he had picked up there.

The crunch came for Jefferson in October He argued that the three-year term of the treaty that had granted America this right and free passage through Spanish territory on the Mississippi had expired.

Hulings, in a dispatch to Secretary of State James Madison. As Jefferson had written in April to the U. Livingston, it was crucial that the port of New Orleans remain open and free for American commerce, particularly the goods coming down the Mississippi River.

It is New Orleans, through which the produce of three-eighths of our territory must pass to market. As it was, frontiersmen, infuriated by the abrogation of the right of deposit of their goods, threatened to seize New Orleans by force.

The idea was taken up by lawmakers such as Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania, who drafted a resolution calling on Jefferson to form a 50,man army to take the city. The press joined the fray. It is the Hudson, the Delaware, the Potomac, and all the navigable rivers of the Atlantic States, formed into one stream. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!

Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Louisiana sits above the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River, bordered by Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east and Texas to the west. Originally colonized by the French during the 18th century, it became U. France had just re-taken control of the Louisiana Territory.

France ceded the land to Spain 80 years Children in pens. The overwhelming stink of human waste. Auctions at which human bodies were prodded, compared, and purchased. But if it Lewis chose William Clark as his co-leader for the mission. The excursion lasted over Jefferson's prediction of a "tornado" that would burst upon the countries on both sides of the Atlantic had been averted, but his belief that the affair of Louisiana would impact upon "their highest destinies" proved prophetic indeed.

Spain secretly agrees to return Louisiana to France in exchange for Etruria, a small kingdom in Italy. Spain cedes Louisiana to France. New Orleans is closed to American shipping. French army sent to re-establish control in Saint Domingue is decimated.

Napoleon decides against sending more troops to Saint Domingue and instead orders forces to sail to New Orleans. Transcription available at Founders Online. Transcription available online in Ford, Jefferson to John C. Breckinridge, August 12, , in PTJ , Buy Tickets. Background The presence of Spain was not so provocative. Tanesse; courtesy the Library of Congress.

Boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. The Louisiana Purchase Treaty. February Napoleon decides against sending more troops to Saint Domingue and instead orders forces to sail to New Orleans. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.

Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient. But will they invade your privacy?

Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth.

Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big.

Environment As the EU targets emissions cuts, this country has a coal problem. Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries.

History Magazine These 3,year-old giants watched over the cemeteries of Sardinia.