The Louisiana
Purchase
In 1682, some French explorers said a large area
of land in the New World was theirs. The land
started at the Gulf of Mexico and continued
north. They called this land Louisiana
(luu-ee-zee-AN-uh). They named it after
their king, Louis XIV. But, the French
people did not want to live there. Only a
few French people moved to Louisiana.
They were called settlers.
The king of France wanted Spain
to help them in a war against Great
Britain. So, he gave Louisiana to Spain.
But in 1800, Spain gave it back to
France. Americans were angry about
this change. The French would not let
Americans store goods in New Orleans.
New Orleans was a city in Louisiana.
The French also did not let Americans use
the Mississippi River. The traders needed
this river to move their goods.
In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the third
president of the United States. The leader of
France was Napoleon Bonaparte (nuh-POH-lyuhn
BOH-nuh-part). The French had a big army.
Napoleon might send soldiers to Louisiana.
Jefferson did not want to go to war with France.
He sent two men to France. He told them to
buy New Orleans.
Thomas Jefferson
The French did not want to sell only New Orleans. They wanted to
sell all of Louisiana. Jefferson’s men had not expected that. They offered
$8 million. France asked for $15 million. The men agreed. They signed
a document called the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803.
The new land was called the Louisiana Territory (TAIR-uh-tor-ee).
A territory is land that a county controls. But, the land is not inside the
country.
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President Jefferson was happy. He wanted to make the United States
larger. Now it was twice as big! Some people said that the land cost too
much. But, Congress thought that the price was right.
The Spanish were mad. They thought Napoleon had cheated them.
Spain said that the United States had paid for stolen land. Thomas
Jefferson told them to talk to the French about it. America would not be
put in the middle. Spain backed down. It did not want to fight France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803.
There were almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of land.
The land was explored. Maps were made. The United States had paid
just four cents an acre. It was the best land deal ever made.
Comprehension Question
How large was the Louisiana Territory?
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The Louisiana
Purchase
In 1682, a group of French explorers claimed a
huge area of land in the New World. It started at
the Gulf of Mexico and spread north.
They named the area Louisiana (luu-eezee-AN-uh). This was in honor of their
king, Louis XIV. The French did not think
that the land was worth much. Only a
few French settlers lived there.
The king of France gave Louisiana
to Spain in exchange for help in a war
against Great Britain. But in 1800,
Spain gave back the land. When the
French took over Louisiana again, they
would not let the Americans store goods
in New Orleans. New Orleans was a
city in Louisiana. They also told the
Americans that they could not use the
Mississippi River. Traders had long used
this river to move goods, so the Americans
were angry.
Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third
president of the United States in 1801. He
knew that the French leader, Napoleon Bonaparte
(nuh-POH-lyuhn BOH-nuh-part), had a strong
army. He might send soldiers to Louisiana.
Some people thought that the United States
should fight France. But Jefferson wanted to
avoid a war. Instead, he sent two men to France
to buy New Orleans.
Thomas Jefferson
These men were shocked when the French offered to sell all of
Louisiana. They offered $8 million for the land. France demanded $15
million. The men agreed to the higher price. They signed a document
called the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803.
The new land was called the Louisiana Territory (TAIR-uh-tor-ee).
A territory is land that a county controls, but the land is not inside the
country.
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#50082—Leveled Texts: Expanding & Preserving the Union
President Jefferson was thrilled. He had hoped to enlarge America.
Now it was twice as big! Some people said that the land was too costly.
But, Congress agreed to the sale.
The Spanish were mad. They thought Napoleon had cheated them to
gain control of Louisiana. Spain said that the United States had bought
stolen land. Jefferson told them that this fight was between France and
Spain. America would not get involved. So Spain backed down. It did
not want to fight powerful France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803.
There were almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of land
to be explored. America had bought this land for just four cents an acre.
It was the greatest real estate deal in history.
Comprehension Question
Use the map above to describe how large
the Louisiana Territory was.
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© Shell Education
The Louisiana
Purchase
In 1682, a group of French explorers laid claim
to a huge area of land in the New World that
started at the Gulf of Mexico and spread north.
They named the territory (TAIR-uh-tor-ee)
Louisiana in honor of their king, Louis XIV.
The French did not think the land was
valuable, and only a few French settlers
lived there.
The king of France gave Louisiana
to Spain in exchange for help in a war
against Great Britain. But in 1800,
Spain gave back the land. When the
French took over Louisiana again, they
refused to let the Americans store any
goods in New Orleans. In addition,
they told the Americans that they could
not use the Mississippi River. Traders
had long used this river to move goods.
Thomas Jefferson became the third
president of the United States in 1801. He
knew that the French leader, Napoleon, had
a great army and would not hesitate to send
soldiers to Louisiana. Some people thought that
the United States should go to war with France,
but Jefferson wanted to avoid a war. Instead, he
sent two diplomats (DIP-luh-matz) to France to
buy New Orleans.
Thomas Jefferson
The men were surprised when the French offered to sell not just New
Orleans, but all of Louisiana. The Americans offered $8 million for the
territory. France demanded $15 million. The men agreed and signed
the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803. They called the new land the
Louisiana Territory.
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President Jefferson was delighted. He had dreamed of enlarging
America, and now it was twice as big! Some people complained that the
territory was too expensive. But, Congress approved the sale.
The Spanish were furious. They said Napoleon had cheated them
to gain control of Louisiana. They accused the United States of buying
stolen land. Jefferson told them that this fight was between France and
Spain. America would not get involved. So Spain backed down because
it did not want to fight powerful France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803.
There were almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of land
to be explored. America had purchased this land for only four cents an
acre, making this the greatest real estate deal in history.
Comprehension Question
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of
the United States. Why was that important?
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The Louisiana
Purchase
In 1682, a group of French explorers claimed a vast
expanse of territory (TAIR-uh-tor-ee) in the New
World that started at the Gulf of Mexico and
spread north. They named this land Louisiana
in honor of their king, Louis XIV. The French
did not think the territory was valuable, and
only a few French settlers lived there.
The king of France gave Louisiana
to Spain in exchange for help in a war
against Great Britain, but in 1800,
Spain gave back the land. When the
French took over Louisiana again, they
prohibited Americans from storing
goods in New Orleans or navigating on
the Mississippi River. Traders who had
long used this river were left without a
way to move their goods. These new
regulations made Americans furious.
In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the
United States’ third president. He knew
that the French leader, Napoleon, had a
great army and would not hesitate to send
soldiers to Louisiana. Some people thought
that the Americans should fight the French, but
Jefferson wanted to avoid a war. He decided to
send two diplomats (DIP-luh-matz) to France to
purchase New Orleans.
Thomas Jefferson
These men were pleasantly surprised when the French offered to sell not
just New Orleans, but all of Louisiana. The American diplomats offered $8
million for the territory. France demanded $15 million. The men agreed
and signed the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803. They called the new
land the Louisiana Territory.
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#50082—Leveled Texts: Expanding & Preserving the Union
President Thomas Jefferson was delighted. He had dreamed of
enlarging America, and suddenly it was twice as big! Some people
complained that it was too expensive, but Congress authorized the sale.
The Spanish were infuriated. They said that Napoleon had cheated
them to take control of Louisiana and accused America of purchasing
stolen land. Jefferson told them that they could confront France, but the
United States would not become involved in their dispute. Spain quickly
backed down because it did not want to fight powerful France.
The United States took control of Louisiana on December 20, 1803.
There were almost 828,000 square miles (about 2 million sq km) of
land just waiting to be explored. America had purchased this immense
property for only four cents an acre, making this the greatest real estate
deal in history.
Comprehension Question
How did the size of the Louisiana Territory
affect the United States?
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