Thomas Jefferson’s original objective was modest: he wanted to purchase only the port city of New Orleans from France to secure American control over the crucial Mississippi River gateway. Jefferson considered New Orleans strategically essential because whoever controlled this port would control the channel through which produce from more than a third of the United States had to pass. He authorized ambassadors Robert Livingston and James Monroe with instructions to negotiate specifically for New Orleans, viewing it as vital for American commerce and western expansion.
However, Napoleon Bonaparte had different plans entirely. On April 11, 1803, French Foreign Minister Talleyrand surprised Livingston by offering not just New Orleans but the entire Louisiana Territory. Napoleon was losing interest in establishing a North American empire and desperately needed funds to fight the British, prompting him to sell the vast territory. The French offer caught Jefferson’s representatives off guard, as they had only been authorized to purchase the single city, not an entire territory spanning 828,000 square miles.
Despite exceeding their instructions, Livingston and Monroe quickly agreed to the expanded deal on u 15 states. Jefferson’s modest goal of securing a single port transformed into one of history’s most significant land acquisitions, fundamentally altering the nation’s trajectory westward.
Street-Committee-367 on
When you send two ambassadors to buy a city and they come back with 828,000 square miles.
rs_obsidian on
This should be reversed
JonTheWizard on
The rest of the purchase was a Bonaparte Bonus.
nostalgic_angel on
“Yea, let’s sell them to the Americans. It is not like those peasant upstarts will pose any threat to us”
auronddraig on
He literally pulled a Risk card territory exchange
CasualNameAccount12 on
Well Louisiana would become useless without a port so he made a good deal
DeliciousGoose1002 on
Feel like you buy the major port city you de-facto own the rest of the territory.
Robcobes on
The rest of the territory was useless if you didn’t control New Orleans.
9 Comments
Thomas Jefferson’s original objective was modest: he wanted to purchase only the port city of New Orleans from France to secure American control over the crucial Mississippi River gateway. Jefferson considered New Orleans strategically essential because whoever controlled this port would control the channel through which produce from more than a third of the United States had to pass. He authorized ambassadors Robert Livingston and James Monroe with instructions to negotiate specifically for New Orleans, viewing it as vital for American commerce and western expansion.
However, Napoleon Bonaparte had different plans entirely. On April 11, 1803, French Foreign Minister Talleyrand surprised Livingston by offering not just New Orleans but the entire Louisiana Territory. Napoleon was losing interest in establishing a North American empire and desperately needed funds to fight the British, prompting him to sell the vast territory. The French offer caught Jefferson’s representatives off guard, as they had only been authorized to purchase the single city, not an entire territory spanning 828,000 square miles.
Despite exceeding their instructions, Livingston and Monroe quickly agreed to the expanded deal on u 15 states. Jefferson’s modest goal of securing a single port transformed into one of history’s most significant land acquisitions, fundamentally altering the nation’s trajectory westward.
When you send two ambassadors to buy a city and they come back with 828,000 square miles.
This should be reversed
The rest of the purchase was a Bonaparte Bonus.
“Yea, let’s sell them to the Americans. It is not like those peasant upstarts will pose any threat to us”
He literally pulled a Risk card territory exchange
Well Louisiana would become useless without a port so he made a good deal
Feel like you buy the major port city you de-facto own the rest of the territory.
The rest of the territory was useless if you didn’t control New Orleans.