The Louisiana Purchase History Essay Example

Long before Louisiana was ceded back to France, it was under French and Spanish rule. Napoleon became the leader of France and, needing to finance his wars, sold Louisiana to the United States. This event was great towards making America more civilized and larger in size.

France at the beginning claimed the Mississippi Valley and Spain claimed west of that towards the Pacific Ocean, this is because Spain signed a secret treaty to return that part of land back to France. "Spain agreed to return the Louisiana territory to France in the secret treaty of San Ildefonso on the condition that Napoleon promise that he would never cede it to the United States.” (Flashpoints).  When Thomas Jefferson discovered that Spain signed a secret treaty to cede that part of Louisiana to France, it meant that France  was a potential threat to the U.S. This was one of the reasons he feared France for their power. France was then led  under Napoleon’s rule at the time because of his past record for good leadership skills and victories. Napoleon was known as a military genius because of his exceptional decision making.  One of the future decisions included giving back Louisiana west of the Mississippi River to Spain, because it was of no use and Spain wanted the gold and silver mines with other recourses.

Any decision that was made was determined by Napoleon when he was appointed to be leader based on his leadership skills. This was known as The French Revolution. He had a history of multiple past victories and he brought peace to the people of France. There were agreements and disagreements with America and France about Louisiana and how much it would cost, but with Napoleon’s right decision making the conflicts were resolved. “On April 30, 1803, representatives of the United States and Napoleonic France conclude negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, a massive land sale that doubles the size of the young American republic” (history.com). After Napoleon resolved his conflicts with the U.S. Louisiana was sold to the United States, making it twice as large. This now meant that Napoleon had broke his agreement to never do business with the U.S.

Napoleon got money from Louisiana by the United States purchasing it for more land and power. "Napoleon was at war in Europe so, he needed money, America paid 60,000,000 francs for the land and cancelled another 18,000,000 francs, which the French owed” (Flam Ester). The U.S is one of those who is surety for depts. "Be one of those who is surety for depts" (Prov. 22: 26) . America approximately got Louisiana for four cents an acre and gained lots of land, resources, and power which is also referred to as the greatest real estate offer. The United States was not very large and there were not many states at the time, however when Louisiana was added, it doubled in size. America only had fourteen states before Louisiana was added.

America gained more positive opportunities such as attaining a better community, having another option for housing, and more local areas. “The purchase also solidified America’s place as a growing power and challenge to the British, something Napoleon was doubtless aware of.” (history.gov). America had grown into a larger area and added an additional land mass to the United States and made it twice as big at the time which was astonishing. Louisiana also gave the U.S food, transportation, trade, silver and gold mines, cattle, coastal wetlands, sulfur, and salt. This resulted in giving us more survival and farming benefits along with a considerable amount of power.

There used to be a rivalry between Europe and France for more land mass because of the desire for more resources, power, and a gain in society. Napoleon also did not really have a good relationship with Europe because of past rivalries, and a lot of disagreements. “Great Britain and France fought for European supremacy and treated weaker powers heavy-handedly.” (state.gov). Napoleon wanted Europe to have the same laws or rules to apply to all people and have the same type of freedom. Napoleon also invaded most of their land because of these rivalries.  

Louisiana was sold to the United States, there are bigger land masses and an abundance of recourses which are very helpful towards our economy. This event was a very important one to the U.S and we should be thankful that it worked out as well as it did after negotiating with Napoleon. Now the United States is one of the biggest countries in the world and this was a great help.  

Annotated Bibliography 

Thesis Statement: Long before Louisiana was ceded back to France, it was under French and Spanish rule. Napoleon became the leader of France and needing to finance his wars, sold Louisiana to the United States and doubled its size.

Primary Sources

“Primary Documents in American History.” Louisiana Purchase, 1803 (Primary Documents of American History: The American Revolution and the New Nation, 1775-1815) | Web Guides, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/rr/program//bib/ourdocs/louisiana.html. 

“The Louisiana Purchase   :  Articles and Essays  :  Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase  :  Digital Collections  :  Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/collections/louisiana-european-explorations-and-the-louisiana-purchase/articles-and-essays/the-louisiana-purchase/. 

Secondary Sources

Chamberlain, Charles. “Spanish Colonial Louisiana.” 64 Parishes, 24 Sept. 2020, https://64parishes.org/entry/spanish-colonial-louisiana. 

Fleming, Esther. “Home.” Sidmartinbio.org, 10 Apr. 2021, www.sidmartinbio.org/why-did-napoleon-want-to-sell-the-louisiana-territory/. 

History.com Editors. “Louisiana Purchase.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Dec. 2009, www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/louisiana-purchase. 

Proverbs 22:26-27 NKJV - - Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2B22%3A26-27&version=NKJV.