The Negotiations
France took several years to regain control of the Louisiana territory from Spain. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson received word that Louisiana was to be returned to French control. This was a matter of concern to the president. Spain was a declining power and offered no threat to the United States. This was not the case with France under Napoleon.
Good news came when France's struggles in the area now known as Haiti showed the difficulty in holding territory so far from home. Additionally, France became money strapped because of its war with Great Britain. Napoleon decided to offer this territory to the U.S. When Thomas Jefferson heard of the news, he sent future U.S. president, James Monroe authorization for $10 million dollars, to Paris to aid Livingston in the negotiations For New Orleans and part of the Floridas. In mid-April 1803, shortly before Monroe came to France, the French had Livingston surprised. They asked the United States if they were interested in purchasing all of Louisiana Territory instead of just New Orleans and the Floridas as first desired. The failure of France to stop a slave revolution in Haiti, the raging war with Great Britain, terrible British naval blockade of France, and the financial difficulties made Napoleon offer Louisiana territory to the United States at a bargain price. Although President Thomas Jefferson was a harsh interpreter of the Constitution who wondered if the U.S. Government was allowed to acquire new territories. He was also a visionary who dreamed of an “empire for liberty” that would stretch across the entire continent. As Napoleon threatened to take back the offer, Jefferson forgot whatever doubts he had and prepared to occupy a land of unthinkable riches. Robert Livingston and James Monroe accepted one of the greatest deals of the millennium. They signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris on April 30, 1803. The French offered the whole territory of Louisiana at first for $22.5 million. James Monroe and Robert Livingston were able to bring down the price. In the end the U.S bought the whole territory for $15 million or 3 cents per acre. |