apr 30, 1803 - Louisiana Purchase

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This acquisition of territory by the United States in the 19th century is possibly the most important factor in enabling the U.S. to become a world power in the 20th century. The transaction cedes 828,000 square miles from France to the U.S. for $15 million, or about 3 cents an acre. Do nations have the moral right to buy foreign territory and people? It also plants the seed of important idea in the minds and hearts of the U.S. population, a nation that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

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