11.2 The Louisiana Purchase pp. 361-364

Objective: Explain how the United States doubled in size in the 1800s.

Review: 1. What is the name of the famous house that Thomas Jefferson designed for himself? 2. What did Jefferson refer to his election as and why? 3. In his Inaugural Address, Jefferson said “We are all _________________, we are all ______________.” 4. Define laissez-faire— 5. Who was Jefferson’s Secretary of Treasury? 6. What were John Adams’s last-minute judicial appointments known as? 7. In which case did the Supreme Court claim for the first time that a law passed by Congress was unconstitutional? 8. Define judicial review— 9. Define precedent—

A. The Louisiana Territory (pp. 361-362) The land from the Mississippi River west to the Rocky Mountains was called the Louisiana Territory. In a secret treaty in 1800, Spain ceded, or granted, the Louisiana Territory to France. America’s use of the lower Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans was once again in jeopardy. Jefferson also feared that the French dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte, might want to base a North American empire in the Louisiana Territory.

B. An Offer to France (p. 362) Jefferson was unwilling to see more land in North America in European hands. He authorized Robert Livingston and James Monroe to negotiate the purchase of the city of New Orleans from France. The House of Representatives voted $2 million for the purchase, but Jefferson authorized Monroe to offer up to $10 million.

C. A Revolution in the Caribbean (p. 362) In 1791 enslaved Africans in the French colony of Saint Domingue had begun a revolt against French plantation owners. After fierce and bitter fighting, the rebels, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, declared the colony an independent republic. In 1804, following a brief setback, the rebels gained their freedom and set up the republic of Haiti.

D. The Louisiana Purchase (pp. 362-363) The rebellion in Saint Domingue (Haiti), combined with his war with Britain, ended Napoleon’s interest in a French empire in North America. Needing money to maintain his war with Britain, Napoleon decided to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) cost a mere $15 million (3 cents/acre) and almost doubled the size of the nation.

The Louisiana Purchase

E. Justifying the Purchase (p. 363) Jefferson struggled with the notion of purchasing territory from another nation, something the Constitution does not authorize. In the end, Jefferson justified the purchase through his constitutional power to make treaties; he urged the Senate to quickly approve it.

F. Federalist Opposition (p. 364) Federalists feared that the Louisiana Purchase would add more slave states to the Union and argued that it was too expensive. The idea of so much new, open land, however, appealed to most Americans. The Senate quickly approved the treaty, thus doubling the size of the U.S. and opening the way for westward expansion.

Review: 10. Identify the Louisiana Territory— 11. Define cede— 12. To which European nation did Spain cede the Louisiana Territory in 1800? 13. Who was the French dictator during the early 1800s? 14. What city were American diplomats authorized to buy for $2-10 million? 15. Who led a successful slave rebellion in Saint Domingue? 16. What did the rebels rename Saint Domingue? 17. For what two reasons did Napoleon decide to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the U.S.? 18. For how much money did the U.S. purchase the Louisiana Territory? 19. How did the Louisiana Purchase affect the size of the United States? 20. Jefferson justified the Louisiana Purchase through his constitutional power to make _____________.