Territorial Expansion How Did the U.S. Acquire

Territorial Expansion

How did the U.S. acquire the territory in question?

On the auspicious date of April 30, 1803, the United States of America bought eight hundred and twenty eight thousand square miles worth of land from the French government of Napoleon Bonaparte. Thomas Jefferson, the President of America, wanted to secure this deal.

Wars were rampaging overseas in the continent of Europe and Napoleon had intentions to safeguard what he had acquired there. The area was a vast stretch of land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Spain had ceded Louisiana to France and this did not have positive implications for the young American government. The diplomatic world was discussing the accession as early as 1802. The clauses of the Treaty of San Ildefonso were not shared and this escalated concerns, primarily in the Jefferson regime. The United States of America depended on the port of New Orleans and it was imperative to lock that in under its belt in order to protect long-term interests. The French dictator had closed the port to American usage. Napoleon needed to find a source of funding in order to support his efforts in Europe. His labors in Santo Domingo had had suffered due to his armed forces perishing at the hands of yellow fever. His initial plan had been to restrain the insurgents and send troops to New Orleans to secure Louisiana. All that changed with the emergence of yellow fever.

Thomas Jefferson appointed James Monroe and Robert Livingston to negotiate a deal for the port of New Orleans in the fiscal amount of two million dollars. The port had been closed on the orders of the Spanish King due to a violation of the Pinckney Treaty of 1795. The counteroffer was the entire port for fifty million francs which launched a series of negotiations between the two countries. Realizing the problems that existed for France across the English Channel, Napoleon decided to forego his dreams of a "rebirth of New France in the Americas."

The American government had begun to prepare to seize the port by force, but that did not influence the French ruler's decision to offer the entire French colony for sale. (Streich, 2008) Unexpectedly, the French Foreign Secretary Charles Maurice de Talleygrand, under orders from Napoleon offered the entire French colony for sale. There were various reasons for this and they included the rising population in the concerned territory and it would have been too costly and difficult for France to hold back the western territory. Napolean wanted to merge his resources so he could dedicate them to the war that was raging in Europe. Another drawback was that the French navy was not equipped to handle battle and control of lands that were so far away from the home country. (Stief, 2011)

The envoys recognized the magnificence and magnitude of such an opportunity. Jefferson had only authorized them to settle for ten million dollars at maximum. However, after negotiations for a year, an agreement was struck between the two nations in the value of fifteen million dollars. A treaty was signed on April 30, 2012 where the hundreds of thousands of miles of territory now came under the American banner. The average cost was approximately three cents per acre. (The Louisiana Purchase, 2011) Two conventions were signed in order to facilitate the transaction between representatives of the nations. One outlined the payment schedule that was tantamount to sixty million francs. The latter was meant to assume the claims of American inhabitants against the French navy for seizure of property and goods from the American ships that were busy at sea.

What were the short-term consequences of the acquisition of this particular territory?

As is with every large commercial transaction, the Louisiana Purchase was not without its share of issues. There was a strong degree of domestic opposition as it was against the clauses of the Constitution that Thomas Jefferson was known to interpret religiously.

He was against the concept of centralized government and had not penned the Constitution. Despite the fact that he had written the Declaration of Independence, Thomas had not authored the Constitution. He was renowned for supporting state wise rights and had not agreed with Alexander Hamilton over the creation of the National Bank either. His perspective was that if a power of authority was not part of the Constitution, then, the state had the right to decide upon the matter. Jefferson had to sacrifice his ideals for the greater good in the procurement of the Louisiana land. If he had waited to legally amend the Constitution, then there was a possibility that the French would take back their offer. (Kelly, 2011)

Another concern was that Jefferson's administration did not know exactly what they were signing up for in the large sum amount of fifteen million dollars. The vastness of the land stretched to over two million kilometers. It was unchartered and unexplored landscape that the American government was purchasing and did not know it's true worth. Defining boundaries was also a problematic feature as the Jefferson government would have to deal with the Spanish regime and work with them on that. Those who had been dwelling in the sold territory before the procurement by the States were given all "rights and liberties." However, claims of "squatters' rights" were not recognized by the American government and this created protests from the western population. The question of whether to grant them citizenship or not also arose. Furthermore, the process of antedating was a short-term issue for the Government. This went back to the 1800s when Louisiana was under Spanish control and claims to land predated back before the French invasion. People began to indulge in this and a special committee had to be established in order to deal with this. (The Louisiana Purchase, 2010) Another issue was that of financing as America did not have the money to fund the acquisition, they had to borrow from England at six percent interest a year. Now, it was in debt to another country.