Discovering the Deal: Top 14 Fun Facts About the Louisiana Purchase You Never Knew

1. Napoleon's Yard Sale

When Napoleon needed some moolah to fund his ooh-la-la French escapades, he played "Let's Make A Deal" with the United States to pass the Louisiana Territory off his hands: In 1803, American diplomats James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston initially aimed to secure a $10 million purchase but ultimately snagged the entire territory for $15 million, after discovering Napoleon's eagerness to sell it all for $22 million.
Source => constitutioncenter.org

2. Supersize My Purchase

Talk about supersizing your order: When the United States went shopping for the port of New Orleans and the Floridas, they walked away with the entire Louisiana territory for just $15 million! The serious reveal: This 828,000-square-mile purchase made in 1803 more than doubled the size of the nation, stretching its borders from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, and cost less than 4 cents an acre.
Source => archives.gov

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3. Gumbo-Worthy Price Tag

Lousiana: a pricey acquisition worth its weight in gumbo! In reality, the United States shelled out a spicy $15 million to France, which translates to approximately $18 per square mile, making it one of history's most significant real estate transactions and manifesting the American dream far and wide.
Source => archives.gov

4. Go Big or Go Home

In a true testament to the age-old adage "go big or go home", Thomas Jefferson and his negotiating team went in search of a port and ended up with an entire territory: The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 saw the United States doubling its land size for just $15 million, a real bargain for about 4 cents an acre. This mammoth deal expanded the nation westward and set the stage for future territorial acquisitions, though it also amplified tensions over slavery and disregarded the impact on Native Americans.
Source => archives.gov

5. Friendly Debt-Settling Deals

Feeling a little indebted to your friends? Just include them in your next real estate deal! In the Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. not only got a whole lotta land, but also settled a debt France owed them: The purchase had three separate agreements - a treaty of cession and two monetary exchanges - and one of these conventions dealt with France settling that earlier debt, all documented at the National Archives alongside other important U.S. treaties.
Source => archives.gov

6. Colonial Monopoly Showdown

As if playing a high-stakes game of Monopoly with a colonial twist, the founding fathers bought some prime real estate from Napoleon's yard sale: The Louisiana Purchase wasn't just about acquiring land, it also involved the purchase of preemptive rights to obtain "Indian" lands by treaty or by conquest, making the United States the top dog in the colonial Middle America showdown.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Trading Peace Medals

As Lewis and Clark played the 19th-century version of "Gotta Catch 'em All," forming alliances like they were trading Pokémon cards, one could only imagine the incredible exchange encounters: Lewis and Clark met around 50 different Native American tribes during their expedition of the Louisiana Purchase, including the Mandan, Minitari, Blackfeet, and Sioux. Their first contact protocol involved gifting Jefferson Indian Peace Medals to tribal leaders and offering military protection in exchange for peace.
Source => history.com

8. Birth of Jazz in New Orleans

Feeling jazzy in the Big Easy? Thank the French for unintentionally giving America a rhythm infusion: The Louisiana Purchase incorporated New Orleans into the United States, diversifying its culture and sparking the development of jazz in the city.
Source => nps.gov

9. Louisianan-scandal

Call it a "Louisianan-scandal", but Thomas Jefferson had everyone in stitches over whether or not he had the constitutional authority to double the size of the country, faster than you can say "King of the Krewe": Despite the concerns, Jefferson abided by due process, got the Senate to ratify the treaty, and the Louisiana Purchase was ultimately never challenged in court.
Source => constitutioncenter.org

10. Europe in the USA

Talk about a prime piece of real estate: it's not every day that a country doubles in size, scoops up enough land to squish the entire European Travel Bucket List™ – that's Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal – and still have some acreage left as a cherry on top! The Louisiana Purchase, originally just a quest for the fair port of New Orleans and the Floridas, ended up bequeathing Lady Liberty a whopping 828,000 square miles for a mere $15 million, making the land-grabbing bonanza a steal at just under 4 cents an acre.
Source => archives.gov

11. Curveball of Slave Revolts

Napoleon had big plans for Louisiana, wanting to create his own Mardi Gras of colonies in the New World, but sometimes life throws a curveball – or in this case, a revolting baseball: Faced with expenses during European wars and the unexpected chaos caused by slave revolts in Saint Domingue, Napoleon decided to throw in the towel and sell Louisiana to the United States, all while making a strategic move to keep it away from British hands during their anticipated skirmish.
Source => loc.gov

12. Swiping Right on Exploration

Before Thomas Jefferson swiped right on Napoleon's tempting offer, he was quite the serial explorer: always eager for some uncharted western adventure, but constantly left heartbroken with failed expeditions. Well, until he met Louisiana, of course: a match made in geographical heaven which doubled the size of the United States and finally satisfied his thirst for knowledge about the region's various natural and human aspects.
Source => history.nd.gov

13. Plot Twist Bonaparte

In a plot twist fit for a classic Napoleon Dynamite movie, Napoleon Bonaparte threw in the towel on his American colonial dreams and sold Louisiana to the United States: The sale of the expansive territory not only funded France's war with Britain, but also strengthened America as a counterweight to British naval power, marking a shift away from colonialism in the Americas and recognizing the nation's independence.
Source => smithsonianmag.com

14. Impulse Buy of the Century

Talk about an impulse buy: In 1803, the United States went shopping for just the port of New Orleans and the Floridas but ended up with a bargain bulk deal of 828,000 square miles called the Louisiana Territory for a mere $15 million! The serious reveal: This monumental acquisition, dubbed the Louisiana Purchase, doubled the size of the young nation and left historians chuckling over the fact that official documents casually referred to it as a "cession" of land without ever mentioning the now-famous term.
Source => archives.gov