Louisiana Purchase

202 years ago today…

History Channel – On April 30, 1803, representatives of the United States and Napoleonic France conclude negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, a massive land sale that doubles the size of the young American republic. What was known as Louisiana Territory comprised most of modern-day United States between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, with the exceptions of Texas, parts of New Mexico, and other pockets of land already controlled by the United States. A formal treaty for the Louisiana Purchase, antedated to April 30, was signed two days later.

History is absolutely fascinating to me. Did you know that France only owned the Louisiana Territory for a couple of years before they sold it to us? Did you know that we paid $3 million for the settlers living in the Louisiana Purchase? Did you know that Jefferson only set out to buy New Orleans, not the entire thing? I didn’t know all that before I read that bit of history. Fascinating…