American History: Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Figure 1.--Haiti played an unexpected and largely unheralded role in American history. Once Napoleon acquired Louisiana back from Spain (1800), President Jefferson sought to buy New Orleans. This required a little political dexterity. Jefferson and he Democratic-Republicans were strict constructionists. And no where in the Constitution does it give the President the power to purchase territory. French control of the interior was infeasible without New Orleans. Thus Napoleon decided to sell all of Louisiana, believing the British would cease it all anyway. And from hi perspective, i was better for the America to have it than the British. Napoleon initially had much larger designs on North America. He had sent an army to the Caribbean to retake Haiti which would then form the vanguard of an army to retake much of the western United States. The French, however, suffered such huge loses in Haiti fighting Toussaint l'Overture and due to disease that the resources were not available for the American expedition he envisioned. Napoleon was strapped for cash to finance his wars with Britain.

Some historians argue that the Louisiana Purchase was the single most important event in American history. [Kukla] The Louisiana Purchase alone would have made Thomas Jefferson one of the great American presidents. Without the purchase, his fame would rely primarily with his role in the Revolution. By a stoke of the pen, he doubled the size of the country, made America a trans-continental power, and radically changed the economics of the West by providing an outlet for the economic production of Western farmers. The price was relatively modest, about $15 million. Spain in an effort to restrict American expansion for a time had shut the port of New Orleans, effectively closing the to Mississippi River to Americans. This effectively shut down the only realistic route for Western farmers to market their produce--a huge economic limitation. The Appalachians was a huge barrier to Western commerce. One effort to overcome it resulted in the Whiskey Rebellion (1791-94). New Orleans was so important that it would be the last battle that America and Britain would fight with each other (1815). Once Napoleon acquired Louisiana back from Spain (1800), President Jefferson sought to buy New Orleans. This required a little political dexterity. Jefferson and he Democratic-Republicans were strict constructionists. And no where in the Constitution does it give the President the power to purchase territory. French control of the interior was infeasible without New Orleans. Thus Napoleon decided to sell all of Louisiana, believing the British would cease it all anyway. And from his perspective, it was better for the America to have it than the British. Napoleon initially had much larger designs on North America. The expeditionary Army he sent to Haiti was huge--some 82,000 men. It would have the capability of defeating what ever army the fledgling United States could have mustered. The army he sent an the Caribbean could then form the vanguard of an army to retake much of the western United States. Napoleon, however, suffered such huge loses in Haiti fighting Toussaint l'Overture and due to disease that the resources were no longer available for the American expedition he envisioned. Napoleon was strapped for cash to finance his wars with Britain. And because of the power of the British Royal Navy, he was not sure he could hold Louisiana. America was concerned about the long border with a powerful European country. Purchase of Louisiana removed much of the potential European danger. Jefferson's purchase forever changed America. The United States entered the 19th century surrounded by the great European powers, England, France, and Spain. Americans still clung precariously to the Eastern seaboard. Very few Americans had crossed the Allegiances into the West. Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana were still controlled by Native Americans, secretly supported by the British. Other Native American tribes still controlled much of Alabama and Mississippi. Jefferson by purchasing Louisiana removed a major impediment to American expansion and changed a struggling republic which few Europeans even thought would survive into a potential new world power. [Kukla] At the time, little was known of the Great Plains which was seen as of little value, They were inhabited by the Plains tribes. The Lewis Clarke Expedition (1804-06) provided an invaluable record of the Plains Tribes at the peak of their cultural development.

Sources

Kukla, Jon. A Wilderness so Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America (Knopf, 2003), 430p.

Created: 3:15 PM 12/9/2024
Last updated: 3:15 PM 12/9/2024