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. Thus, the correct answer is option A. Louisiana Purchase - Definition, Facts & Importance There was no arguing with Napoleon, who would, after all,crown himself Emperor in 1804. They wrote an enthusiasticletter to Secretary of State James Madison: "An acquisition of so great an extent was, we well Know, not contemplated by our appointment; but we are persuaded that the Circumstances and Considerations which induced us to make it, will justify us, in the measure, to our Government and Country.". And John Trumbulls huge painting The Signing of the Declaration of Independence documents the historic American event that so greatly impressed and influenced French revolutionary thinkers. The scene caused a servant to faint, and when Lucien lingered to try to argue the point, Napoleon said to his brother that if he opposed him he would break him like a snuffbox which he smashed into the floor. Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. The Kingdom of France had controlled the Louisiana territory from 1699 until it was ceded to Spain in 1762. (Louisiana Shaping) [33] The fledgling United States did not have $15 million in its treasury; it borrowed the sum from Great Britain, at an annual interest rate of six percent. Why did France sell Louisiana to the US? 4 and 7. successful French demand for an indemnity, Indian Territory Indian Reserve and Louisiana Purchase, Foreign affairs of the Jefferson administration, Territorial evolution of the United States, Territories of the United States on stamps, "The True Cost of the Louisiana Purchase", "Congressional series of United States public documents", "Milestones: 18011829 Office of the Historian", "3 Of The Most Lucrative Land Deals In History", "Primary Documents of American History: Louisiana Purchase", "America's Louisiana Purchase: Noble Bargain, Difficult Journey", "The Louisiana Purchase: Jefferson's constitutional gamble", National Archives and Records Administration, "Aspecten van de Geschiedenis van Hope & Co en van Gelieerde Ondernemingen", "Convention Between the United States of America and the French Republic (Article III)", "Statutes & Constitution :Constitution: Online Sunshine", "Slave Freedom Suits before Dred Scott: The Case of Marie Jean Scypion's Descendants", Case and Controversies in U.S. History, Page 42, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louisiana_Purchase&oldid=1150213397, Gleijeses, Piero. As for the ever-succinct Thomas Jefferson, he wasted little time on rhetoric. [44][42] With the bankers' help, the French and American negotiators settled on a price of 80 million francs ($15 million), down from an initial price of 100 million francs, a sum the Americans could not afford and the financers could not provide. As for France, it never seriously established a colonial presence in the Americas again. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Louverture, as a French general, had fended off incursions from other European powers, but had also begun to consolidate power for himself on the island. Pakenham was ordered to conduct the New Orleans/Mobile campaign even in the middle of the peace negotiations in late 1814. The French ruler was just about to embark on a series of devastating wars. All Rights Reserved. The Louisiana Territory, in Napolons view, was useful mainly as a granary for Saint Domingue. He planned on using that money to build a better army and navy. Livingston wrote to James Madison, "We shall do all we can to cheapen the purchase, but my present sentiment is that we shall buy.". [citation needed], Governing the Louisiana Territory was more difficult than acquiring it. In October, the U.S. Senate ratified the purchase, and in December 1803 France transferred authority over the region to the United States. Why did France give Louisiana to Spain? - KnowledgeBurrow.com The House called for a vote to deny the request for the purchase, but it failed by two votes, 5957. His soldiers died on the island and he knew he could not establish control there. He took possession of the whole Mississippi River basin, he avowed, in the name of the most high, mighty, invincible and victorious Prince, Louis the Great, by Grace of God king of France and Navarre, 14th of that name. And it was in honor of Louis XIV that he named the land Louisiana. The Louisiana Purchase is considered one America's most important and prosperous investments. How the Louisiana Purchase Changed the World | History| Smithsonian 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. Why did France sell Louisiana ? - French Glimpses Laussat, standing on the balcony of the town hall, burst into tears. Why did the French leave Louisiana? Her book, The Heroine's Bookshelf (Harper), won the Colorado Book Award for nonfiction. As farmers headed into the newly created Missouri territory with their slaves, lawmakers tussled over the issue of which parts should have slavery. The Louisiana Purchase was an incredible deal for the United States, the final cost totaling less than five cents per acre at $15 million (about $283 million in today's dollars). Monroe, along with the minister to France, Robert Livingston, made the inquiry. But by April 27, he was saying that $15 million was as low as Napolon would go. Who was president of the U.S. at the time of the Louisiana purchase? One man is everything.. Everybody who has taken grade-school history knows the story. Napoleon may have sought to liberate Quebec from British rule, attacking the British in Upper Canada (modern Ontario). Why did France sell the Louisiana Territory to the U.S in 1803? Spain had not yet completed the transfer of Louisiana to France, and war between France and the UK was imminent. Otherwise, Louisiana would be an easy prey for a potential invasion from Britain or the U.S. Not all Americans agreed, however. A slaves life in Haiti was usually short and miserable. Answer (1 of 2): Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. All or parts of 15 Western states would eventually be carved from its nearly 830,000 square miles, which stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, and from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The bank then turned over ownership of the Louisiana Territory to the United States in return for bonds, which were repaid over 15 years at 6 percent interest, making the final purchase price around $27 million. Why did France give Louisiana to Spain? The Library of Congress explains how President Thomas Jefferson realized the precariousness of having France as a neighbor. [56] The maps and journals of the explorers helped to define the boundaries during the negotiations leading to the AdamsOns Treaty, which set the western boundary as follows: north up the Sabine River from the Gulf of Mexico to its intersection with the 32nd parallel, due north to the Red River, up the Red River to the 100th meridian, north to the Arkansas River, up the Arkansas River to its headwaters, due north to the 42nd parallel and due west to its previous boundary. The Americans thought that Napoleon might withdraw the offer at any time, preventing the United States from acquiring New Orleans, so they agreed and signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty on April 30, 1803, (10 Floral XI in the French Republican calendar) at the Htel Tubeuf in Paris. Spains King Charles IV finally got around to signing the royal decree officially transferring the territory to France, and on October 16, the Spanish administrator in New Orleans, Juan Ventura Morales, who had agreed to administer the colony until his French replacement, Laussat, could arrive, arbitrarily ended the American right to deposit cargo in the city duty-free. In 1796, Spain allied itself with France, leading Britain to use its powerful navy to cut off Spain from America. [3] The western borders of the purchase were later settled by the 1819 AdamsOns Treaty with Spain, while the northern borders of the purchase were adjusted by the Treaty of 1818 with Britain. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. 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. From this day the United States take their place among the powers of the first rank., It wasnt until July 3 that news of the purchase reached U.S. shores, just in time for Americans to celebrate it on Independence Day. 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. How was the Louisiana Territory acquired? The Constitution specifically grants the president the power to negotiate treaties (Art. Without the profits from Saint-Domingue, it did not make sense to try to defend the sprawling Louisiana Territory, and Napoleon was worried about the British. The United States had the right, thundered the New York Evening Post, to regulate the future destiny of North America, while the Charleston Courier advocated taking possession of the port . dollar. There is no people, no legislature, no counselors. Among Eurocentric circles, the Louisiana Purchase was seen as one of the greatest land deals in history. But an elated Livingston was aware that nearly doubling the size of America would make it a major player on the world scene one day, and he permitted himself some verbal euphoria: We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our whole lives, he said. The Louisiana Purchase had major consequences for the United States. Acquisition of Louisiana was a long-term goal of President Thomas Jefferson, who was especially eager to gain control of the crucial Mississippi River port of New Orleans. Why did France agree to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United iii. In mid-April 1803, shortly before Monroes arrival, the French asked a surprised Livingston if the United States was interested in purchasing all of Louisiana Territory. 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. A group of Northern Federalists led by Senator Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts went so far as to explore the idea of a separate northern confederacy. I renounce Louisiana. Barings relayed to order to Hopes, which declined to comply, allowing the final payments to be made to France in April 1804. Jefferson considered a constitutional amendment to justify the purchase; however, his cabinet convinced him otherwise. This secret deal did not remain secret for long. The Real Reason France Sold The Louisiana Territory To The United Why did France want to sell the Louisiana Territory? France was worried Spain would take away the Caribbean. Learn more about Erin and her work at erinblakemore.com. Napoleon needed peace with Britain to take possession of Louisiana. . Louis. [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. Also, Spain's refusal to cede Florida to France meant that Louisiana would be indefensible. What we wanted to do was enrich peoples understanding of the significance of this moment, says Gail Feigenbaum, lead curator of the show. Updated: June 6, 2019 | Original: December 2, 2009. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Spain turned the territory over to France in a ceremony in New Orleans on November 30, a month before France turned it over to American officials. Free shipping for many products! By Edmund Duncan May 31, 2022. Majority Leader John Randolph led the opposition. While the transfer of the territory by Spain back to France in 1800 went largely unnoticed, fear of an eventual French invasion spread across America when, in 1801, Napoleon sent a military force to secure New Orleans. Alarmed over the French actions and its intention to re-establish an empire in North America, Jefferson declared neutrality in relation to the Caribbean, refusing credit and other assistance to the French, but allowing war contraband to get through to the rebels to prevent France from regaining a foothold. france - Why did the French sell Louisiana? - History Stack Exchange This made it difficult, when compared to Britain, to obtain the necessary money to wage large-scale wars. This left Laussat with little to do but officiate when, on a sunny December 20, 1803, the French tricolor was slowly lowered in New Orleans main square, the PlacedArmes, and the American flag was raised. We have tried to capture the suspense and fascination of a story whose outcome is known, yet was not foreordained, says Gail Feigenbaum, curator of the Jefferson-Napolon show on view in New Orleans April 12 to August 31, and to tell it through a rich variety of objects. The variety includes three important documents: a copy of the treaty, which bears Jeffersons signature; a document covering payment of claims by American citizens against France, signed by Napolon; and the official report of transfer of the Louisiana Territory signed by a bereaved prefect, Pierre de Laussat. As described by Louisiana State University, France even went so far as to send convicts from debtors' prisons to the colony in 1717 in order to increase its settlement. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The Republican secretaries of state in Ohio, West Virginia and Missouri have promoted their states' elections as fair and secure. The whole thing came as a total surprise to him and his negotiating team in Paris, because it was, after all, Napolons idea, not his., Showing up unexpectedly at the dinner party Livingston gave on April 12 for Monroes arrival, Barb-Marbois discreetly asked Livingston to meet him later that night at the treasury office. How did the French Own Louisiana? Inspired by republican ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality, they pressed for their rights, and some were given the right to vote in 1790 by the French government. [61], During the War of 1812, Great Britain hoped to annex all or at least portions of the Louisiana Purchase should they successfully defeat the U.S. Aided by their Indian allies, the British defeated U.S. forces in the Upper Mississippi; the U.S. abandoned Forts Osage and Madison, as well as several other U.S. forts built during the war, including Fort Johnson and Fort Shelby. France's land was mainly unexplored wilderness, and so the fertile soils and other valuable natural resources we know are present today might not have been factored in . . France had just re-taken control of the Louisiana Territory. Why did France want to sell the Louisiana Territory See answers Advertisement Advertisement countsbrycem countsbrycem Answer: to fund its European wars. The following year, the District of Louisiana was renamed the Territory of Louisiana. With the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, this is one of the threethings that created the modern United States, says Douglas Brinkley, director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies in New Orleans and coauthor with the late Stephen E. Ambrose of The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation. Terms of Use The crunch came for Jefferson in October 1802. Beginning in the 17th century, France explored the Mississippi River valley and established scattered settlements in the region. On March 11, 1803, Napoleon began preparing to invade Great Britain. [58] The institutionalization of slavery under U.S. law in the Louisiana Territory contributed to the American Civil War a half century later. On April 30, 1812, exactly nine years after the Louisiana Purchase agreement was made, the first state to be carved from the territory Louisiana was admitted into the Union as the 18th U.S. state. American expansion westward into the new lands began immediately, and in 1804 a territorial government was established. ii. Alain Chappet, Roger Martin, Alain Pigeard. Louisiana Purchase - Wikipedia Napoleon informed his brothers of the sale and asked for their opinion. Gentlemen, he announced, think what you please about it. The revolution brought the colony to a state of insurrection and civil war. The superpower had built a vast network of colonies in the Americas, capitalizing on European tastes for coffee, indigo and other commodities. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. [12], Although the foreign minister Talleyrand opposed the plan, on April 10, 1803, Napoleon told the Treasury Minister Franois Barb-Marbois that he was considering selling the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. It would have seemed unthinkable for France to cede any of its colonial territories before 1791. [62] The U.S. later built or expanded forts along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, including adding to Fort Bellefontaine, and constructing Fort Armstrong (1816) and Fort Edwards (1816) in Illinois, Fort Crawford (1816) in Wisconsin, Fort Snelling (1819) in Minnesota, and Fort Atkinson (1819) in Nebraska. The problem with Saint-Domingue was that its entire economy was supported by and depended entirely upon slavery. Plenty of sunshine. France needed money to finance wars. However, France's failure to suppress a revolt in Saint-Domingue, coupled with the prospect of renewed warfare with the United Kingdom, prompted Napoleon to consider selling Louisiana to the United States.