Transcript Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana purchase

THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE
LOUISIANA PURCHASE
By Mackenzie Black, Sade Preston, and Turgerel A
PROMPT
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President Jefferson’s constitutional reservations concerning the
Louisiana Purchase and the significance of his decision to
accept the bargain
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It was crucial for Jefferson to take action in purchasing the
land due to the economic necessity of the New Orleans port,
the need to avoid a national war with France, Spain, and
Britain, and a required sense of unity within the colonies.
CONSTITUTIONAL RESERVATIONS
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Thomas Jefferson believed that the future of America relied on
westward expansion, not connections with Europe
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The Constitution said nothing about buying territory from a
foreign power
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In order to take advantage of the Louisiana Purchase,
Jefferson had to abandon his conviction that the federal
government was limited to powers specifically mentioned in
the Constitution
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BARGAIN
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Once the Louisiana Purchase was accomplished, Jefferson
had doubled the size of the US and ended the French
presence in North America
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The Louisiana Purchase added 828,000 square miles to the
land area of the United States; one of history’s greatest realestate bargains
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The property was purchased for 15 million dollars (less than 3
cents per acre) for the Louisiana territory ($234 million in 2012
dollars, less than 42 cents per acre)
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BARGAIN
(CONT.)
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Federalists complained about spending money we didn’t
have to buy land we didn’t need
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Jefferson believed that farmers were “the chosen people of
God” and that the country would remain virtuous as long as it
was “chiefly agricultural”
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According to Federalist no. 10 by Madison, the large size of the
republic made self-government possible
BEFORE AND AFTER
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Yellow = United States, 1803
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Green = Louisiana Purchase,
1803
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The Louisiana Purchase
doubled the land area of
the United States.