The Louisiana Purchase opened up a new can of worms in the United Stateshow much of the new territory should be open to slavery? So many slaves died of yellow feverand ill treatment that the entire slave population turned overevery 20 years, and slaves were held in subjugation through a strict caste system. Jefferson, as a strict constructionist, was right to be concerned about staying within the bounds of the Constitution, but felt the power of these arguments and was willing to "acquiesce with satisfaction" if the Congress approved the treaty. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Morales proclamation meant that American merchandise could no longer be stored in New Orleans warehouses. This made it difficult, when compared to Britain, to obtain the necessary money to wage large-scale wars. iv. But if Haiti was under the control of the slaves, his plan was for naught. The press joined the fray. This gave Jefferson and his cabinet until October, when the treaty had to be ratified, to discuss the constitutionality of the purchase. [42] In the final agreement, the value of the U.S. currency was set at .mw-parser-output .sfrac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .sfrac.tion,.mw-parser-output .sfrac .tion{display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.5em;font-size:85%;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .sfrac .num,.mw-parser-output .sfrac .den{display:block;line-height:1em;margin:0 0.1em}.mw-parser-output .sfrac .den{border-top:1px solid}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}5+3333/10000 francs per U.S. Lucien said that the legislative chambers of the French government would not approve it, to which Napoleon replied that he would do it without their consent. Part or all of 15 states were eventually created from the land deal, which is considered one of the most important achievements of Thomas Jeffersons presidency. The French ruler was just about to embark on a series of devastating wars. Why did France want to sell the Louisiana Territory? Why did France sell Louisiana? To France, it was a backwater sort of like owning Mediterranean Avenue in Monopoly. Napoleon no longer needed Louisiana as a supply depot for the Island of Saint-Domingue. Napoleon Bonaparte used the cash to finance his war efforts, but he was finally and permanently defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He could not or did not see the value in sending troops to defend worthless Louisiana, not with Saint-Domingue out of the equation. According to Slavery and Remembrance, the French imported nearly 800,000 enslaved Africans to the colony for brutal plantation work in what was one of the most violent slavery systems in the Americas. A wily political survivor who held high offices under the French Revolution, and later under Napolons empire and the restored Bourbon monarchy, Talleyrand had spent the years 1792 to 1794 in exile in America after being denounced by the revolutionary National Convention, and had conceived a virulent contempt for Americans. However, the territory north of the 49th parallel (including the Milk River and Poplar River watersheds) was ceded to the UK in exchange for parts of the Red River Basin south of 49th parallel in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. Louisiana under Spanish control fared little better. [33][35], When Spain later objected to the United States purchasing Louisiana from France, Madison responded that America had first approached Spain about purchasing the property but had been told by Spain itself that America would have to treat with France for the territory.[36]. France had just re-taken control of the Louisiana Territory. [30], Other historians counter the above arguments regarding Jefferson's alleged hypocrisy by asserting that countries change their borders in two ways: (1) conquest, or (2) an agreement between nations, otherwise known as a treaty. ", The Historic New Orleans Collection provides more nuance to the negotiations of the Louisiana Purchase. Although the purchase was undeniably a bargain, the price was still more than the young U.S. treasury could afford. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million . His strategy was to use Louisiana to supply the flour, salted meat, timber, and other resources necessary to support his troops on the island colony. It would have seemed unthinkable for France to cede any of its colonial territories before 1791. [52] If the territory included all the tributaries of the Mississippi on its western bank, the northern reaches of the purchase extended into the equally ill-defined British possessionRupert's Land of British North America, now part of Canada. Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin added that since the power to negotiate treaties was specifically granted to the president, the only way extending the country's territory by treaty could not be a presidential power would be if it were specifically excluded by the Constitution (which it was not). Out of anger towards Spain and the unique opportunity to sell something that was useless and not truly his yet, Napoleon decided to sell the entire territory. . As slaves killed their masters and occupied and burned their plantations, white people defended themselves, then fled. "Napoleon, Jefferson, and the Louisiana Purchase. Cantonment Belle Fontaine 8051826 The First U.S. Fort West of the Mississippi River. Or, as Jefferson put it in his usual understated way, The fertility of thecountry, its climate and extent, promise in due season importantaids to our treasury, an ample provision for our posterity, and a wide-spread field for the blessings of freedom., American historians today are more outspoken in their enthusiasm for the acquisition. He probably concluded that, following American independence, France couldnt hope to maintain a colony on the American continent, says Jean Tulard, one of Frances foremost Napolon scholars. Bonaparte's purpose was to build up a French Army to send to Louisiana to defend his "New France" from British and U.S. attacks. In the 1780s, it produced 60% of the world's coffee and supplied Britain and France with 40% of its sugar. The U.S. adapted the former Spanish facility at Fort Bellefontaine as a fur trading post near St. Louis in 1804 for business with the Sauk and Fox. Brown University explains that Saint-Domingue created a tax revenue base of 1 billion livres and exported up to 170 million livres into France on an annual basis. Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. When it came to profit and geopolitical importance, Napoleon was far more interested in the Caribbean. [59] In 1808 two military forts with trading factories were built, Fort Osage along the Missouri River in western present-day Missouri and Fort Madison along the Upper Mississippi River in eastern present-day Iowa. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. When Monroe and Livingston were offered the opportunity to buy the entire territory, they could not help but be excited. Following French defeat in the Seven Years' War, Spain gained control of the territory west of the Mississippi, and the British received the territory to the east of the river. [63], The Louisiana Purchase was negotiated between France and the United States, without consulting the various Indian tribes who lived on the land and who had not ceded the land to any colonial power. Today, the 31st parallel is the northern boundary of the western half of the Florida Panhandle, and the Perdido is the western boundary of Florida. The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. The House called for a vote to deny the request for the purchase, but it failed by two votes, 5957. [27], Spain protested the transfer on two grounds: First, France had previously promised in a note not to alienate Louisiana to a third party and second, France had not fulfilled the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso by having the King of Etruria recognized by all European powers. The British had re-entered the war and France was losing the Haitian Revolution and could not defend Louisiana. If we had not made this purchase, it would have pinched off the possibility of our becoming a continental power, he says. However, as Slate Magazine describes, the United States did not so much buy the land but rather the imperial rights to conquer it and take it from the Native Americans who'd lived there for millennia. [17] The signers were Robert Livingston, James Monroe, and Franois Barb-Marbois. Meanwhile, Haitis free black people were organizing. French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle first claimed the Louisiana Territory, which he named for King Louis XIV, during a. A picturesque assemblage of French and Spanish colonial architecture and Creole cottages, New Orleans boasted a thriving economy based largely on agricultural exports. [1][2], Domestic opposition and constitutionality, Formal transfers and initial organization. . You have come to a very corrupt world, Napolon told him frankly, adding roguishly that Talleyrand was the right man to explain what he meant by corruption. A Washington newspaper, the National Intelligencer, reflecting how most citizens felt, referred to the widespread joy of millions at an event which history will record among the most splendid in our annals. Though we have no historical evidence of how Jefferson felt about the purchase, notes Cerami, reports from those in his circle like Monroe refer to the presidents great pleasure, despite his fear that the deal had gone beyond his constitutional powers. A.to fund its European wars B.to create a North American empire C.to fund its war against Haitian revolutionaries . The Federalists strongly opposed the purchase, favoring close relations with Britain over closer ties to Napoleon. Would that make the United States too powerful? Charles A. Cerami, author of Jeffersons Great Gamble, agrees. [60] With tensions increasing with Great Britain, in 1809 Fort Bellefontaine was converted to a U.S. military fort and was used for that purpose until 1826. Thomas Jeffersonand his cabinet, themselves terrified of a French presence so close to the United States, used this conundrum as an opening. Furthermore, the Spanish prime minister had authorized the U.S. to negotiate with the French government "the acquisition of territories which may suit their interests." All Rights Reserved. [18] After the signing Livingston famously stated, "We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our whole lives From this day the United States take their place among the powers of the first rank. France wanted to end Louvertre's rule and reinstate slavery. Free shipping for many products! Napoleon may have sought to liberate Quebec from British rule, attacking the British in Upper Canada (modern Ontario). Napoleon was reported to have said of Louisiana in his treasury minister's memoir, "To attempt obstinately to retain it would be folly.". While this strategy was successful at first, by 1803, disease and heavy casualties forced the French to withdraw. France regained sovereignty of the western territory in the secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso . Felix S. Cohen, Interior Department Lawyer who helped pass ICCA, is often quoted as saying, "practically all of the real estate acquired by the United States since 1776 was purchased not from Napoleon or any other emperor or czar but from its original Indian owners", roughly estimating that Indians had received twenty times as much as France had for the territory bought by the United States, "somewhat in excess of 800 million dollars". Napoleon saw in the sale of Louisiana something he needed more than anything else cold, hard cash. The Louisiana Purchase was the start of the United States' incredible expansion from a group of Eastern Seaboard states on the North American continent. The French were fascinated by Americawhich they often symbolized in paintings and drawings as a befeathered Noble Savage standing beside an alligatorbut 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. So while a slave rebellion helped drive the Louisiana Purchase, the new territory was destined to become a place of suffering and exploitation for the thousands of slaves forced to work there. [40], To pay for the land, the American government used a mix of sovereign bonds and the assumption of French debts. Aside from the obvious drive for conquest by Napoleon, he knew that when war started between the two countries, Britain would attempt to take Louisiana. The American representatives were prepared to pay up to $10million for New Orleans and its environs but were dumbfounded when the vastly larger territory was offered for $15million. In return for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile, the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000sqmi (2,140,000km2; 530,000,000 acres) in Middle America. The most ambitious event opens this month at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Saint-Domingue was a powder keg, ready to explode. II, Sec. France sold the Louisiana Territory to fund its European wars. dollar. By early 1803, Napoleon decided to abandon his plans to rebuild France's New World empire. Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. As the lands were being gradually settled by American migrants, many Americans, including Jefferson, assumed that the territory would be acquired "piece by piece." Though there were 10 black slaves for every white person in Haiti, slaves occupied the bottom rung of society and were treated like expendable commodities. However, Livingston was certain that the United States would accept the offer.[16]. In March 1802, he warned Madison that France intended to have a leading interest in the politics of our western country and was preparing to send 5,000 to 7,000 troops from its Caribbean colony of Saint Domingue (now Haiti) to occupy New Orleans. The Louisiana Territory was established, as described by Smithsonian Magazine, in 1682, when the French explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi River, put up a cross and column, and declared to a group of puzzled Native Americans that the entire river basin belonged to France. Let the Land rejoice, Gen. Horatio Gates, a prominent New York state legislator, told President Thomas Jefferson when details of the deal reached Washington, D.C. For you have bought Louisiana for a song., Rich in gold, silver and other ores, as well as huge forests and endless lands for grazing and farming, the new acquisition would make America immensely wealthy. This week (May 2) in 1803, the United States and France formally signed the treaty that transferred the Louisiana Territory, including the port city of New Orleans, to the United States for the paltry sum of $11,250,000. The final price after the 15-year bonds were paid was $27 million, still a very good deal for the United States, and not really a bad one for Napoleon, considering the pressure he was under to dump the territory. [42] The first group of bonds were issued on January 16, 1804, but the banks had already provided a 10 million franc advance to France in July 1803. Why did . Livingston was ordered to negotiate with French Finance Minister Barb-Marbois for the purchase of New Orleans. At the time, Britain and France were at war in Europe, and if France had not sold Louisiana that war would most likely have spread to North America .The emergence of a vastly larger British North America might also have made it easier to confine slavery within the southern states. Because of this favored position, the U.S. asked Barings to handle the transaction. In 1762, during the French and Indian War, France ceded French Louisiana west of the Mississippi River to Spain and in 1763 transferred nearly all of its remaining North American holdings to Great Britain. Even in 1803, that was dirt cheap. Among Eurocentric circles, the Louisiana Purchase was seen as one of the greatest land deals in history. [46], Because Napoleon wanted to receive his money as quickly as possible, Barings and Hopes purchased the bonds for 52 million francs, agreeing to an initial 6 million franc payment upon issuance of the bonds followed by 23 monthly payments of 2 million francs each. by force of arms. As Secretary of State James Madison explained, The Mississippi is to them everything. With Congress and a vociferous press calling for action, Jefferson faced the nations most serious crisis since the American Revolution. The British had re-entered the war and France was losing the Haitian Revolution and could not defend Louisiana. [citation needed], Governing the Louisiana Territory was more difficult than acquiring it. They also feared that this would lead to Western states being formed, which would likely be Republican, and dilute the political power of New England Federalists. Southern Quarterlynotes, "What is often remembered as a remarkably 'peaceful' transfer of land was in fact predicated on events of enormous violence that took place in the Caribbean.". All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Majority Leader John Randolph led the opposition. When the United States found out that instead of Spain as their neighbor, it was to be France under Napoleon with imperial ambitions, the Americans feared that their access to the Mississippi would be cut off. The British had re-entered the war and France was losing the Haitian Revolution and could not defend Louisiana. After William C.C. But the official view was summed up by Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, whom Louis XIV named governor of the territory in 1710: The people are aheap of the dregs of Canada, he sniffed in a 42-page report to the king written soon after he arrived. Why did France sell Louisiana to the US? [citation needed]. Browman, David L (2018). [citation needed], In Saint-Domingue, Leclerc's forces took Louverture prisoner, but their expedition soon faltered in the face of fierce resistance and disease. In 1800, Napoleon, the First Consul of the French Republic, regained ownership of Louisiana as part of a broader effort to re-establish a French colonial empire in North America. The sale of Louisiana was a FIRE SALE for France, and specifically, its self-appointed ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte, for these reasons: 1) France had gotten "burned" with her earlier misadventures in North America.