Louisiana Purchase. "The most significant achievement...": The Louisiana Purchase in the 18th century
Modern Louisiana and early nineteenth-century Louisiana are far from the same thing. The modern American state is only a tiny part of the Louisiana that will be discussed.
The history of European exploration of the territory between the Appalachian Mountains in the East, the Rocky Mountains in the West, what is now Canada in the North and Mexico in the South began in 1682. Then the French traveler Rene Robert de Lassalle announced that he was transferring this land under the crown of Louis XIV and calling it Louisiana. The French were in no hurry to develop the new province, only in 1712 a man named Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac, who is considered to be the first French governor of Louisiana, was sent there. The overwhelming number of French colonists in Louisiana were clergy from the Jesuit and Capuchin orders. In 1718, Jean-Baptiste de Bainville founded a city at the mouth of the Mississippi, which was named New Orleans, in honor of the Duke of Orleans. The city became the capital of French Louisiana and grew quite quickly - from 300 inhabitants in 1722 to 1000 in 1728.
France held Louisiana until 1763, when King Louis XV gave it to the young Spanish King Charles III as compensation for losses in the general war against England. Charles accepted the gift, but so reluctantly that he even forgot to send a garrison to Louisiana. And the French administration ruled there for another two years.
Until 1801, the Spanish ruled Louisiana with surprisingly good nature. Americans were given the right to navigate the Mississippi and duty-free use of the port of New Orleans. Only once did the Spanish governor attempt to close the port, but then-President George Washington threatened to take New Orleans by storm. Spain easily gave in and opened the port. The well-being of Ohio Valley farmers depended on him. There they transported all their goods down the Mississippi: tobacco, timber, flour, butter, cheese, honey, wax, bear and beaver skins, deer skins, pheasant feathers. All this from New Orleans went by water to the eastern shore, and from there to Europe. This route was much easier than the overland trails through the Appalachians. It was through New Orleans that farmers in the western states exported all their goods from North America.
Everything changed in the fate of Louisiana when Napoleon came to power in France. He hatched plans to recreate the French colonial empire and decided to start by regaining the American province. King Charles IV of Spain avoided solving this problem and negotiations with Napoleon's envoys on September 30, 1801 were conducted by his wife, Maria Louise. Napoleon promised her a piece of paradise in the Tuscany he conquered in exchange for Louisiana. Marie-Louise could not recover from joy. At the direction of the queen, Foreign Minister Mariano Urquijo signed the so-called secret agreement of San Idelfonso, according to which Spain returned Louisiana to France, and Tuscany, now called the Kingdom of Etruria, was transferred to the Infanta of Parma.
Thus, Louisiana again became the property of France. On March 21, 1801, the cession of Louisiana was confirmed by a final treaty, signed in response to Napoleon's demand to expedite the formalization of the cession of Louisiana. Pedro Cevalles, who succeeded Urquijo as Spanish Foreign Minister, insisted that the First Consul promise “not to sell or alienate in any way the property and rights of possession of this province.” On July 22, 1802, the French ambassador in Madrid, on behalf of Napoleon, solemnly assured the Spanish king that “France would never hand over Louisiana to anyone.”
Although the Louisiana negotiations took place in strict secrecy, rumors of them reached the United States in the spring of 1801. In the fall, these rumors were confirmed when Rufus King, the American envoy in London, sent a copy of the Franco-Spanish agreement on the cession of Louisiana to the United States. Napoleon's plans to extend French rule over the North American continent aroused the concern of US statesmen. They were well aware that as long as Louisiana belonged to Spain, this sparsely populated colony posed no immediate danger to the United States. It would be a different matter if Louisiana came under the rule of England or France. On December 15, 1802, while delivering his second annual message to Congress, the American president declared: “The cession by Spain of her province of Louisiana to France, which took place during the late war... will result in a change in the character of our foreign relations.”
Panic gripped not only America, but also the Spanish authorities in Louisiana. The Spanish governor suddenly again took away the right granted to the Americans to use the port warehouses of New Orleans. Farmers and hunters found themselves in such a difficult situation that some were ready to take New Orleans by storm, while others became foreign citizens. Then Jefferson came up with a rather unusual way of resolving territorial conflicts. He decided to buy New Orleans.
On May 1, 1802, the Secretary of State instructed the American minister in Paris to begin negotiations with the French government for the purchase of New Orleans and the Floridas. However, the news coming to Washington from Paris was not encouraging. In September, Livingston announced France's firm intention to take possession of New Orleans. The US proposals were called "premature" by French Foreign Minister Charles-Maurice Talleyrand.
Meanwhile, immediately after the conclusion of the truce with England on October 1, 1801, Napoleon energetically set about implementing his planned colonial plans. He considered the priority task to be the restoration of French dominance on the islands of the West Indies - Martinique, Guadeloupe and, above all, in Saint-Domingue (Haiti), once its richest overseas colony. This island was to become a French sugar plantation in the Caribbean and bring France a third of its colonial income. But with the time of the French Revolution and under its direct influence, events occurred in Saint-Domingue that radically changed the situation on the island. And in 1791, a war against colonial oppression and slavery began there. During it, Toussaint Louverture emerged as the leader of the rebels. In July 1801, a constitution was proclaimed that confirmed the abolition of slavery and declared the equality of all citizens before the law. Toussaint Louverture became the lifelong ruler of the island, which continued to remain part of the French state, but with its own laws, which essentially made the colony independent of the metropolis.
Napoleon planned to put his son-in-law in Haiti and sent an expeditionary force there. Napoleon's troops rode as if for a walk, but the black inhabitants of the island fought like mad. They destroyed roads and poisoned wells. Obviously, therefore, an epidemic of yellow fever - jaundice - began among the French. And a year later, this disease and war destroyed the entire corps, all 20,000 people. For the first time, it was in Haiti that Napoleonic troops were defeated.
In the tense situation caused by the closure of the port of New Orleans, Jefferson appointed an able diplomat, the former governor of Virginia, as minister extraordinary and plenipotentiary to France and Spain. Monroe, together with Livingston, was supposed to seek from the French government the concession of New Orleans, Western and Eastern Florida to the United States. The appointment of Monroe, who had influence in the West, was intended to reassure the settlers and demonstrate that the Government did not intend to put up with the situation that had created it. On February 3, 1803, Jefferson, informing Livingston of the Monroe and Paris mission, emphasized: "We must know whether we can acquire New Orleans or not... The future destiny of our country depends on the result of these negotiations."
By early 1803, tensions between England and France had increased. It became clear that a new war between them was inevitable. Soberly assessing the situation, Napoleon comes to the conclusion that after the loss of Saint-Domingue and in view of the upcoming protracted struggle with England, his plans for colonial expansion in the Western Hemisphere are doomed to failure. Without a fleet, France will not be able to hold Louisiana, which will become easy prey for England. With the transfer of New Orleans to the United States, the territory adjacent to the Mississippi lost its value. These circumstances led Napoleon to the final decision to sell all of Louisiana to the United States. In addition, France could thus not only receive the money it needed so much for the upcoming war, but also secure the benevolent neutrality of the overseas republic.
On April 10, 1803, Napoleon announced his intention to sell Louisiana to the United States. Authorizing Treasury Secretary François Barbet-Marbois to negotiate with American representatives, the First Consul declared: “I renounce Louisiana. I yield not only New Orleans, but the entire colony." On April 11, Talleyrand notified Livingstone of Napoleon's decision.
Napoleon no longer needed Louisiana, he needed money, as much money as possible. And he asked for 22 and a half million dollars. Absolutely not expecting such a turn of events, American diplomats objected that they were only talking about the sale of New Orleans for 8 million. After this, Napoleon fell silent, giving the diplomats a hint that he might change his mind. Both diplomats decided not to give up their positions. Napoleon remained silent for several weeks. On April 27, Barbe-Marbois appeared at the American embassy and announced that Napoleon had reduced the price to 16 million. At the next meeting, the Americans offered $12 million. We agreed on fifteen.
After this, both American diplomats lost sleep. They, of their own free will, without consulting the president, who was too far away, signed a deal for such a huge sum, which the United States obviously did not have. They weren't sure if Congress would ratify it, they weren't sure if the banks would lend. Of course, they had no idea that many years later their purchase would be called the best deal in American history. After signing the treaty, Livingston declared: “We have lived a long life, but this is the most remarkable achievement of our entire lives... From this day on, the United States takes its place among the first powers of the world.”
It was the largest and most profitable real estate transaction in history. 2 million 400 thousand square kilometers were purchased for 15 million dollars. That is, three cents per acre. Gradually, 15 states were located on the purchased territory: Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas and Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas and present-day Louisiana.
When concluding an agreement with the United States on the cession of Louisiana, the French government did not even consider it necessary to notify the Madrid court about this and grossly violated the solemn promise it made to the Spanish government to never transfer the colony to anyone. However, even at that time Madrid was powerless to take effective measures. Napoleon ignored the notes of protest from the Spanish government. Similar notes were sent to the USA. In the fall of 1803, the Spanish envoy in Washington protested to the American government, explaining that France had no right to transfer the colony to anyone. But these statements came to nothing, and the Spanish diplomat was told that the United States had nothing to do with “private questions concerning France and Spain, which they must settle among themselves.”
On July 4, 1803, the American government notified the Spanish governor of this province, Manuel Salcedo, and the Marquis of Casa Calvo, who had been appointed to transfer the colony to the French representative, about the signing of the Treaty of Louisiana in Paris. The fact is that Napoleon sold Louisiana to the Americans before France took possession of it, so it was technically required that the Spanish commissioners first hand over Louisiana to the French authorities. On November 30, 1803, the French prefect Pierre Lossa took possession of Louisiana. Governor Salcedo's demands to establish the boundaries of the territory ceded to Spain were rejected by the French prefect, who declared that he was not authorized to deal with "demarcation of boundaries."
Finally, on December 20, 1804, at a ceremony held in New Orleans, Lossa, who had been “ruling” the colony for only three weeks, handed over Louisiana to the Governor of the Mississippi Territory, William Claiborne, and the commander of the American army in the West, James Wilkinson, and on the same day a joyful message was sent to Washington. signing of the act of ceding Louisiana to the United States.
When the treaty for the purchase of the Louisiana territory was brought back to the United States in the middle of the summer of 1803, it caused more fear than joy - fear of violating the Constitution, since it did not contain provisions for the expansion of the country into new territory; fears that a disorderly advance to the West could greatly disperse the six million population, which was already sparse for an area several times larger than any country in Western Europe.
The congressional debate regarding the Louisiana Purchase, which began in October 1803, was an interesting and significant one. Since it was to be the first addition to the original territory of the country defined by the treaty of 1783, the debate was the first legislative test of the readiness of the national mind for land expansion.
Federalists insisted that Congress could not admit as a new state territory that did not belong to the United States when the Constitution was adopted. Jeffersonian Republicans, known for their strict adherence to the Constitution, first recognized that the Constitution did not give Congress or the President direct authority to expand the country's territory. Then Jefferson himself, suddenly changing his usual opinion, and in an address to Congress, demanded, first, to ratify the treaty and pay the money for the purchased lands, and then “to adopt an additional article of the Constitution, approving and confirming what was not previously sanctioned by the nation. The Constitution made no provision for our acquisition of foreign territory and, moreover, for the inclusion of other nations in our Union. The executive branch, taking advantage of a happy opportunity that greatly contributed to the good of the country, committed an action not provided for by the Constitution. The Legislature, leaving behind metaphysical niceties and risking itself as a faithful servant, must ratify the treaty and pay for the purchase, making itself responsible to its citizens for those unauthorized acts which we know they would have committed themselves had they found themselves in the same situation. situations."
He spoke not from future greatness, but from immediate needs. The citizens of the United States, having crossed the mountains and already settled on the banks of the Mississippi, should have been able to float their products down the river. Buying land, he explained, was the only way to provide them with a vital connection with the world.
In July 1803, Jefferson sent his cabinet a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would authorize the Louisiana Purchase and strengthen the Union by preventing population spread westward, but by October, when Congress met to discuss the treaty, Jefferson had convinced himself and his party that the needs nations are so great and so obvious that no correction is required.
His Federalist opponents focused all their eloquence on the dangers of removal and the unfavorable consequences of an unlimited expansion of the national possessions. Again and again, Federalist speakers warned of a possible weakening of the Union. Speaking on behalf of his fellow New Englanders, Federalist Fisher Ames warned that the annexation of the foreign lands of Louisiana would open the floodgates to a flood of people who had no respect for the sacred Anglo-Saxon principles on which the Union was founded. It is not surprising, then, that when British troops approached New Orleans during the War of 1812, such a loyal New Englander as Timothy Pickering hoped that the city would surrender to the British. Then the entire West of the Appalachians could go to the English victors, leaving the United States with a smaller, but more homogeneous territory.
This first step towards continental expansion caused serious alarm for the state of the Union, in which the states that formed the Union may soon find themselves in the minority, and it may already be a new country with a new constitution.
The reaction of American leaders to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 demonstrated the extent to which they were unprepared for the great migration across the Mississippi. In subsequent years, statesmen competed in foresight, but the more that is learned about how Louisiana was actually purchased, the more it seems that it was the result of coincidence, misunderstanding, and great luck. If communication between Washington and American diplomatic representatives abroad had been as rapid as it became later in the 19th century, the purchase could never have happened at all.
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The United States of America ranks 4th in terms of area. But few people know that more than half of the US territory was purchased at different times.
Back in the 18th century, Alaska belonged undividedly to the Russian Empire. However, owning a remote and unsuitable territory, which turned out to be the northern lands, became burdensome. “Selling is the surest way!” They didn’t think for a long time... The signing of the agreement took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington. Many of our citizens are sad about the sale of the colony. They say that this was one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the Russian state: they asked for “only” $7.2 million for the “golden treasure.” Subsequently, gold was discovered in Alaska, the famous gold rush began, and the extracted minerals exceeded the purchase price many times over. This, of course, is unfortunate, but the main failure of the deal lies elsewhere: the money “proceeds” from the sale never made it to Russia. 7 million dollars was transferred to London by bank transfer, and the gold bars purchased for this amount were transported from London to St. Petersburg by sea. But disaster struck - the bark Orkney, which had a precious cargo on board, sank on July 16, 1868, on the approach to St. Petersburg. It is unknown whether there was gold in it at that time, or whether it did not leave England at all. The insurance company that insured the ship and cargo declared bankruptcy, and the damage was only partially compensated.
Louisiana
The Louisiana Purchase was the largest territorial transaction in history. Thanks to her, the United States has become one of the largest countries in the world. The Louisiana Purchase is also unique in that it came as a surprise to the United States; it can also be called the most successful deal in history.
In 1731, Louisine officially became a French colony; 30 years later, during the war, it passed to the Spaniards, but the French-speaking population did not want to come to terms with the Spanish projectorate. As a result, in 1800 Louisine again became French. True, not for long. American President Thomas Jefferson in 1802 instructed James Monroe and Robert Livingston to begin negotiations with France to purchase New Orleans and some other parts of the Louisiana territories. It is difficult to imagine the surprise of the Americans when, instead of selling New Orleans, Napoleon offered Jefferson to buy all of Louisiana. It was a huge territory (828 km 2), twice the size of the then United States; today in its place are the states of Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Nebraska, parts of the states of Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Northern and South Dakota. The deal amount was simply ridiculous and amounted to $15 million. The price of one acre of land as a result of the transaction was 3 cents (7 cents per hectare). Napoleon's haste was caused by the fact that he needed a fleet for the war with England. In addition, he understood that he would not be able to keep overseas territories under control, and he did not want to wait until they were taken away by force.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo can be considered another super-successful deal by the US government. It was concluded after the end of the Mexican-American War in March 1848. In fact, this treaty was a typical example of an annexationist peace. The transaction document consisted of 23 articles and an additional protocol. The United States received New Mexico, Texas, part of Arizona and Upper California. This territory (more than 1,300 thousand km 2) accounted for almost 40% of the pre-war territory of Mexico. The United States paid $15 million under the agreement, and also took upon itself to pay the financial claims of its citizens against the Mexican government ($3,250 thousand). In addition to the territorial benefits of the United States, his subjects also received free navigation along the Colorado River and the Gulf of California.
Gadsden Purchase
6 years after the conclusion of the Treaty of Guadalupo Hidalgo, Mexico again had to make significant territorial concessions. This time, the United States bought 120 thousand km 2 of territory between the Colorado, Gila and Rio Grande rivers from a neighboring state for $10 million. Today this is the southern part of the US states of Arizona and New Mexico. The deal is named after the American envoy James Gadsden, who, on behalf of US President Franklin Pierce, concluded an agreement with the Mexican dictator Santa Ana. The exchange of ratifications took place on June 30, 1854. The need to conclude an agreement was explained by the US construction of a transoceanic railway, which was supposed to pass through the territory of the purchased lands. Interestingly, under the terms of the treaty, the United States also planned to build a transoceanic canal on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (on the territory of Mexico), but this condition of the United States was never fulfilled.
Virgin Islands
The United States has repeatedly eyed the Virgin Islands, which have belonged to Denmark since 1733. Even before the First World War, they wanted to buy the islands, as they were concerned about the possibility of placing German submarines on the islands, but the countries managed to come to an agreement only in 1917. They did, as they say, beautifully. In 1916, a referendum was held in Denmark in which 64.2% of citizens voted in favor of selling the islands. An unofficial referendum held on the islands yielded even more impressive results: 99.8% of citizens voted in favor of joining the United States. The deal took place a year later, on January 17, 1917. America paid Denmark $25 million, which was comparable to half the European country's annual budget. Virginians began to receive American citizenship only 10 years later.
Florida
Florida was acquired by the United States from Spain through the Adams-Onis Treaty on February 22, 1819. This deal is unique in that formally the vast territory was given to the United States for free. US Secretary of State John Quincy Adams entered into an agreement under which America agreed to pay the claims of American citizens against the Spanish government. Washington created a commission that collected 1,859 claims covering 720 incidents from 1821 to 1824. The government paid $5.5 million for these claims.
Philippines
In 1896, a rebellion against Spanish rule began in the Philippines. The people of the Philippines wanted independence, but they could not defeat Spain alone. They needed the support of a large state. The United States appeared on the horizon, promising independence to the Filipinos and starting a war with Spain. Two months before its end, the Philippine Republic declared its independence, but it was not recognized by the United States, which on December 10, 1898 bought the Philippines from Spain for $20 million and left its military bases on the islands. On February 4, 1899, an American soldier killed a Filipino who entered the territory of a military base. This became the detonator for the American-Philippine War, which lasted until 1903 and cost the United States a tidy sum of $600 million, 30 times more than what was paid for the Philippines to Spain.
Andrey Zhigulev
The Louisiana Purchase is the most important event in the early history of the United States.
In 1762, Louisiana became a colony of Spain. New Orleans (now the largest city in the state), located in Louisiana, had a very advantageous geographical location. It turned out that the country that owned this city could control the entire Mississippi River. I think it’s not worth talking about the important economic importance this river played; it is one of the most important waterways in North America. On October 27, 1795, under a treaty with Spain, US citizens received the right to conduct export trade through New Orleans, and the States had the right to navigate the entire Mississippi River. Americans could also use the city to ship many important products between the western and eastern states.
But in 1798, the Spanish government terminated this agreement. This has become a very big problem for the United States. In 1801, due to the change of the Spanish governor, the treaty was renewed.
The Americans, still remembering the troubles that the Spanish termination of the treaty had brought them, became worried. Thomas Jefferson (US President from March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809) feared that his country might lose the right to trade through New Orleans. In the end, the 3rd President of the United States decided that the best solution would be to buy out the eastern part of Louisiana, in which the desired city was located. James Monroe and Robert Livingston went to Paris to conduct preliminary negotiations. The United States initially wanted to acquire only the territory of New Orleans and the lands adjacent to the port. But no one could even think about what proposal the French would put forward.
At first they responded with a categorical refusal. But then a slave revolt against the French began in Guadeloupe and San Dominick. The Europeans lost a very large number of soldiers due to disease and the fierce confrontation of the rebels. Napoleon understood that without a fleet, France would not be able to hold Louisiana; Great Britain or the United States could seize it without any problems. The plans of the French emperor regarding the New World were disrupted. The troops stationed on American territory thinned out, and a conflict with Great Britain began.
All this led to Napoleon revising his plans for a French colony in the New World. On April 10, 1803, the French Minister of Finance receives notification that the head of state gives the go-ahead for the sale of the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. The Americans were completely unprepared for such a stunning proposal. It was assumed that the United States would pay $10 million for the New Orleans territory. The French were ready to sell all of Louisiana for 15 million. The US government was shocked. On May 2, 1803, the treaty was signed, and Thomas Jefferson succeeded in his plan. We can say that he even exceeded the plan. It is only worth noting that the size of the purchased territory was twice the size of the United States itself. There is no need to compare the modern state called Louisiana with Louisiana in the early 19th century. Back then it was just a huge territory. At that time, Louisiana was an extremely uninhabited area. Almost all of its lands were inhabited by Indian tribes. The United States had to buy the territory of the state again, this time from them. By the way, the amount paid to various Indian tribes exceeded the amount that France received.
It is worth saying that not all Americans reacted positively to this purchase. Some believed that the government simply could not cope with the management of such an unexpectedly expanded territory of the country. Even Jefferson himself was not entirely sure that this purchase would be successful. But, fortunately, he overcame his doubts and on October 20, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase documents were submitted to the Senate.
Modern historians ironically call the Louisiana Purchase the largest real estate transaction in history. Jefferson acquired 2.3 million square kilometers for such a small amount. This was real luck. It is quite possible that if this deal had not happened, we would now be observing a completely different United States of America.
It was an area with huge potential for agriculture and livestock breeding. We can say that these lands were more fertile than Ukrainian black soil.
After this purchase, Americans felt like a chosen people toward whom God was showing favor. Indeed, it was luck that seemed fantastic.
At first, the Spanish government protested. After all, France sold Louisiana to the Americans in gross violation of its promise not to transfer the colony to anyone. The French did not even deign to inform Spain about the fact of the sale. However, France ignored the Spaniards' remark - they then had much more important problems. And the United States informed the Spanish envoy in Washington that such issues should be resolved only between France and Spain.
The Louisiana Purchase is the name given to the 1803 deal in which the United States acquired French colonial possessions on the North American continent. This territory accounted for almost a quarter of the entire US territory and is considered the largest land acquisition in world history.
Background
The vast territory that was then called Louisiana now includes the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.
The first Europeans to arrive in Louisiana were the Spanish conquistadors. But since Madrid did nothing to develop new overseas territories, French colonists settled here. They founded new cities and gave the name to this land. The word “Louisiana” itself is derived from the name of the French king, Louis XIV.
After the French and Indian War in 1762, Paris divided these unprofitable lands, according to the French, along the Mississippi River. The eastern part was transferred to Great Britain, and the western part to Spain. At the same time, the strategically very important New Orleans, located on the Mississippi, ended up on the Spanish half. Thanks to the favorable geographical position of the city, Spain could control all ships sailing along the river.
In the Anglo-American War, Spain supported the rebellious American colonies and moved against Great Britain, which had plans for New Orleans. In 1795, Spain and the United States signed a treaty defining the border between the states. Under this agreement, Americans were able to transport their goods for export along the Mississippi. In 1798, Spain suddenly denied them this right. Just three years later, US citizens were again able to float their cargo on the river, however, this situation made the American government think about gaining full control over the Mississippi.
In 1800, a secret treaty was concluded between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Spanish King Charles, according to which Spain returned Louisiana to France in exchange for a kingdom in Italy.
Deal
After the terms of the treaty between Spain and France became known to Washington, an American delegation arrived in Paris and offered Napoleon to sell the port of New Orleans and its environs. Then the Americans received a decisive refusal. However, France's further policy in overseas territories turned out to be a failure. In 1802, a French fleet set off for the shores of America, which was supposed to deliver a military garrison to Louisiana. However, the ships got stuck in the ice, and the army was never able to occupy new French territories. In addition, Napoleon lost his Caribbean colonies, and without them it would be difficult to control Louisiana. The remoteness of the territories and the impossibility of protecting them from encroachments by the Americans and the British forced Napoleon to seriously think about the US proposal.
Lands acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase on a US map
Representatives of the American side came to Paris again. They planned to buy the desired port for 10 million dollars, but instead received a lucrative offer: to purchase all of Louisiana for only 15 million. In May, the deal was concluded, and on July 4, 1803, President Jefferson announced the purchase to the entire American people. It was only at the end of October that the deal was ratified by the Senate.
The official transfer of Louisiana to the United States was not without its oddities. In 1802, the French never arrived in America and did not receive official permission to own the territory from the Spanish governor. Therefore, in order for the deal to be considered legal, at the end of 1803 in New Orleans, a specially invited Spanish delegation declared Louisiana to be French territory. And only three weeks later the French solemnly transferred the rights to Louisiana to the Americans.
US policy in the newly acquired territories
In 1804, the Americans divided their acquisition into the Orleans Territory and the Parish of Louisiana. For a long time in the west there was no exact border between these lands and Texas, which then still belonged to Spain. In order to avoid conflicts, in 1806 the two powers decided to create a neutral zone in which both soldiers and civilians would be prohibited. However, despite the ban, deserters and fugitive criminals began to hide here. They called these lands the Sabine Free State.
In general, the procedures that the American administration introduced in Louisiana were extremely undemocratic. First of all, the colored population of the state suffered from them. Racial discrimination applied not only to slaves exported from Africa, but also to children born to black women from white men. The Spanish administration looked favorably on the descendants of such mixed unions; they received a decent education and could occupy a high position in society. But with the arrival of the Americans, strict centralized power and racial segregation were established in Louisiana.
