Louisiana Purchase

Some events cannot be fully measured at the time of their occurrence. It requires decades, even centuries, to understand their full significance. Next to winning our national independence, the purchase of the Louisiana territory had the largest influence on the development of our country. Although the purchase was one of the greatest achievements of this nation, the circumstances involved in this action should have warranted the dismissal of this act. President Jefferson overstepped his Executive Limitations with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory.

The sale of the Louisiana territory to the United States by Napoleon Bonaparte was the result of rivalries between France, Spain, and Great Britain. “In 1762, France ceded the territory known as “Louisiana” to Spain, after being under Spanish rule for forty years”(Winship, 32). As Spain began to decline in world power, France became interested in the territory and forced Spain to return the territory. As time progressed, Napoleon realized that he could not defend this territory, and decided to sell it.

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

He did not know how this would affect our country, but it was a wise decision nonetheless. He also knew that he did not have the executive power to authorize the purchase of a territory in the name of the United States.

As the Louisiana purchase was approved by Senate, it is a valid treaty to this day. There was a six-month gap between the time the purchase occurred, and the time it was approved. The United States, with it’s numerous farmers and miners, could harvest off this land for countless generations to come. Thirteen new states would join the Union, and also this country gained a vast wealth of natural resources. The Louisiana Purchase: how it was and as it is. This country, without a doubt, would not be the superpower it is today without the acquisition of this land. The gold miners would find wealth, the farmers would f!

ind a plot of fertile land to call their own, and the United States itself would double in size. The nation acquired eight-hundred and twenty-eight thousand square miles west of the Mississippi river. First, there was the direct payment of the money from the United States.

Approximate Word count = 721
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.