“By any standard, the Louisiana Purchase was a monumental achievement.  The nation acquired 287,000 acres, doubling its territory at a cost of roughly fifteen cents per acre, one of history’s greatest real estate steals.  Control of the Mississippi would tie the West firmly to the Union, enhance U.S. security, and provide enormous commercial advantages.  Napoleon’s sale of Louisiana all but eliminated a French return to North America, leaving the Floridas hopelessly vulnerable and Texas exposed.  The United States’ acquisition of Louisiana established a precedent for expansion and empire and gave substance to the idea that would later be called Manifest Destiny.”  –George Herring, From Colony to Superpower, p. 107

Discussion Questions

  • Herring describes Thomas Jefferson as a “practical idealist.” Does the story behind the Louisiana Purchase embody this description?  What about afterwards, as President Jefferson pivoted toward the acquisition of Spanish Florida?
  • Jefferson’s approach to expansionism and other foreign policy matters represented something of a departure from his predecessors.  How did he try to change both the nation’s diplomatic strategy and also diplomatic style as president?

LA purchase

Additional Resources