Prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, what we know today as the Midwest was actually the Louisiana territory. The purchase of the territory was a massive step in expanding the United States. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson became the second American president and assumed control a year later. In the same year, the Treaty of San Ildefonso was also signed under which France regained control of the Louisiana territory and refused to give up control for many years. However, at this point Napoleon was also at the brink of a war with Great Britain and direly needed money. New Orleans, which was a part of the Louisiana territory, was an important international trade port and so, Jefferson offered to buy it. While Jefferson was hoping to buy out New Orleans, he did not expect that Napoleon would make an offer to sell the whole Louisiana territory. Thus, the Louisiana Purchase was made; the United States doubled in size, and made it possible for the country to expand towards the West.
However, not everyone supported Jefferson’s decision to buy the territory, and those who opposed the purchase questioned whether it was truly constitutional. When it came to the interpretation of the Constitution, Jefferson himself happen to be quite strict about it, and during the process of trying to acquire New Orleans and ultimately the entire Louisiana territory, he was forced to question whether his political philosophy was legitimate. He believed he was not authorized to purchase and add new territory to the country. Moreover, Napoleon had demanded quite a high price of $15 million that America did not have and had to borrow it from European bankers. Finally, Jefferson compromised and reconciled his strict interpretation of the U.S. constitution for what he believed would be good for the country. He ultimately made the decision to buy the Louisiana territory because it would expand the United States and would make international trade possible down the Mississippi River.
Surely, the Louisiana Purchase was a massive transaction that doubled the resources and size of the United States, and granted the country control of the Mississippi River. However, the price that Jefferson and the United States had to pay got the country entangled with foreign debt. Moreover, constitutionally France did not actually have real authority to sell the Louisiana territory, thus, the process of acquiring the tribal lands in the next few decades turned out to be bloody and toilsome for America. Moreover, Jefferson’s intention for buying the Louisiana territory was to make white settlement possible, which led to conflicts and bitter consequences for Indians. West Orleans was undoubtedly an important port and the addition of the Louisiana territory certainly expanded the country, however, till today, the Midwest remains a land of contradictions.
References
Fleming, T. J. (2003). The louisiana purchase. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
