The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit.'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in … See more

While the treaty between Spain and France went largely unnoticed in 1800, fear of an eventual French invasion spread across America when, in 1801, Napoleon sent a military force to nearby Saint-Domingue. Though Jefferson urged moderation, … See more

France turned over New Orleans, the historic colonial capital, on December 20, 1803, at the Cabildo, with a flag-raising ceremony in the Plaza de Armas, now Jackson Square. Just three weeks earlier, on November 30, 1803, Spanish officials had formally … See more

A dispute soon arose between Spain and the United States regarding the extent of Louisiana. The territory's boundaries had not been defined in the 1762 Treaty of Fontainebleau that ceded it from France to Spain, nor in the 1801 Third Treaty of San Ildefonso ceding it … See more

Throughout the second half of the 18th century, the French colony of Louisiana became a pawn for European political intrigue. The colony … See more

After Monroe and Livingston had returned from France with news of the purchase, an official announcement of the purchase was made on July 4, … See more

To pay for the land, the American government used a mix of sovereign bonds and the assumption of French debts. Earlier in 1803, Francis Baring and Company See more