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 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River's drainage basin west of the river. In return for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile ($7/km2), the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000 sq mi (2,140,000 km2; 530,000,000 acres) of land now in the Central United States.
The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people by President Thomas Jefferson
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 1803.
Historical Significance
The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit.
Key People
Thomas Jefferson
Founding Father & President
Primary author of the Declaration of Independence; 3rd US President
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Events Before
Congress passes an act calling for a US Capitol library
Congress passes an act calling for a US Capitol library
1st leopard exhibited in US, Boston (admission 25 cents)
1st leopard exhibited in US, Boston (admission 25 cents)
Simon Willard patents banjo clock
Simon Willard (April 3, 1753 – August 30, 1848) was a celebrated American clockmaker. Simon Willard clocks were produced in Massachusetts in the towns of Grafton and Roxbury, near Boston.
1st US Military Academy at West Point is established through Congressional act (opened July 4, 1802)
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York, that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the...
Great Britain and the French Republic sign the Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens (French: la paix d'Amiens, lit. 'the peace of Amiens') temporarily ended hostilities between France, the Spanish Empire, and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the...
Events After
Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolut
Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolution; becoming the only state ever founded by formerly enslaved people and without slavery
World’s first steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, runs for the first time along the tramway of the Penydarren
World’s first steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, runs for the first time along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Economist Thomas Malthus (38) weds Harriet Eckersall in Bath, Somerset
Economist Thomas Malthus (38) weds Harriet Eckersall in Bath, Somerset
Napoleonic Code is adopted in France, stressing clearly written and accessible law
The Napoleonic Code (French: Code Napoléon), officially the Civil Code of the French (French: Code civil des Français; simply referred to as Code civil), is the French civil code established during…
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's expedition sets out from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, commissioned by Thomas Je
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's expedition sets out from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson
More from the 1800s
The dissolution of the Dutch East India Company comes into effect
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874.
Italian monk Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the dwarf planet Ceres
Giuseppe Piazzi was an Italian Catholic priest of the Theatine order, mathematician, and astronomer.
Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Roy
Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam
Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolut
Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolution; becoming the only state ever founded by formerly enslaved people and without slavery
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on July 4, 1803?
- 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 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River's drainage basin west of the river.
- Why is The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people by President Thoma... significant?
- The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit.
- Who was involved in The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people by President Thoma...?
- Key figures include Thomas Jefferson (Founding Father & President).