He was an excellent writer but terrible at public speaking. One of many reasons why a statesman of this caliber couldn’t be a president in modern times.
Technical-Panda-162 on
Imagine being the French diplomat who had to tell Napoleon they just sold the Midwest for the price of a mid-sized yacht in 2026
opie92 on
Why fight a war when you can just buy the land… T-Money Jefferson probably
The-marx-channel on
Possibly the best investment of all time. Buying Alaska being second
dionpadilla1 on
Talked cash shit but then won and backed it up.
EnamelKant on
Congress actually wasn’t a huge fan. As one member put it “We are asked to trade money, for which we have too little, for land of which we already have too much.”
Thomas Jefferson thought it would take a thousand years to settle the west, that it would serve as an eternal resource for the empire of liberty and be the solution to all America’s problems.
Americans would settle it in less than a hundred years… and bring a lot of their problems with them.
Metallgesellschaft on
As typical as this big things go, he was probably ridiculed by most of of the political establishment. Moreover, there could have been legitimate fears of bringing so many French speakers into the Union. I surmised that he was always ahead of his time. The true magnitude of the purchase probably took some time to be fully understood.
crazykrishnaisop on
Napoleon: ‘I need money for wars.’ Jefferson: ‘I have $15 million and a dream.’
SirMourningstar6six6 on
Who helped facilitate that deal for him?
AndreasDasos on
Done a bit behind Congress’ back, or at least to a scale they didn’t initially approve.
Reminds me of Disraeli scooping up the Suez Canal from Egypt with an unprecedented an overnight loan from his friend Nathan Rothschild before France could finalise their deal, without Parliament’s say so. Also a no-no but so clearly overwhelmingly beneficial that he was given a pass.
Fine Anglo-Saxon tradition: the executive can get away with playing fast and loose with the rules, provided it diminishes French territory. 👍🏽
SparklingSofia on
Imagine being the Federalist who had to figure out how to be mad about doubling the country for the price of a modern Brooklyn condo.
riggengan on
. Ironically, he betrayed his own beliefs. But he knew it was a once in a lifetime deal so he did his duty regardless of his own personal beliefs.
Plowbeast on
I think everyone knows it was just to buy the European claim but Jefferson funded much of the purchase with loans from British bankers whose sovereign was intermittently at open war with Napoleon for an entire generation.
gimmeluvin on
Because no one was living there already. Just like israel.
LoveToyKillJoy on
We still had to evacuate it and commit acts of war and genocide to secure it.
15 Comments
He was an excellent writer but terrible at public speaking. One of many reasons why a statesman of this caliber couldn’t be a president in modern times.
Imagine being the French diplomat who had to tell Napoleon they just sold the Midwest for the price of a mid-sized yacht in 2026
Why fight a war when you can just buy the land… T-Money Jefferson probably
Possibly the best investment of all time. Buying Alaska being second
Talked cash shit but then won and backed it up.
Congress actually wasn’t a huge fan. As one member put it “We are asked to trade money, for which we have too little, for land of which we already have too much.”
Thomas Jefferson thought it would take a thousand years to settle the west, that it would serve as an eternal resource for the empire of liberty and be the solution to all America’s problems.
Americans would settle it in less than a hundred years… and bring a lot of their problems with them.
As typical as this big things go, he was probably ridiculed by most of of the political establishment. Moreover, there could have been legitimate fears of bringing so many French speakers into the Union. I surmised that he was always ahead of his time. The true magnitude of the purchase probably took some time to be fully understood.
Napoleon: ‘I need money for wars.’ Jefferson: ‘I have $15 million and a dream.’
Who helped facilitate that deal for him?
Done a bit behind Congress’ back, or at least to a scale they didn’t initially approve.
Reminds me of Disraeli scooping up the Suez Canal from Egypt with an unprecedented an overnight loan from his friend Nathan Rothschild before France could finalise their deal, without Parliament’s say so. Also a no-no but so clearly overwhelmingly beneficial that he was given a pass.
Fine Anglo-Saxon tradition: the executive can get away with playing fast and loose with the rules, provided it diminishes French territory. 👍🏽
Imagine being the Federalist who had to figure out how to be mad about doubling the country for the price of a modern Brooklyn condo.
. Ironically, he betrayed his own beliefs. But he knew it was a once in a lifetime deal so he did his duty regardless of his own personal beliefs.
I think everyone knows it was just to buy the European claim but Jefferson funded much of the purchase with loans from British bankers whose sovereign was intermittently at open war with Napoleon for an entire generation.
Because no one was living there already. Just like israel.
We still had to evacuate it and commit acts of war and genocide to secure it.