may 2, 1803 - Louisiana Purchase

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The United States brought about 828,000,000 square miles of land from France, known as the Louisiana Territory, for $11,250,000. The treaty was dated April 30 and signed on May 2. In October, the U.S. Senate ratified the purchase, and in December 1803 France transferred authority over the region to the United States. The territory stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north, doubling the size of the country. Part or all of 15 states were created from this land deal, which is considered one of the most important achievements of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. After the land was purchased, Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, to explore the territory acquired. This was key in providing information about the new geography.

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