The Louisiana Purchase

Dennis Brindell Fradin

TURNING POINTS IN U.S. HISTORYTURNING POINTS IN U.S. HISTORY

TITLES IN THIS SERIES

The AlamoThe Assassination of Abraham LincolnThe Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of YorktownThe Bill of RightsThe Boston MassacreThe Boston Tea PartyThe California Gold RushCuster’s Last StandThe Declaration of IndependenceThe Emancipation ProclamationThe First Lunar Landing

Fra

din

President Thomas Jefferson wanted to purchase the mysterious

territory west of the Mississippi, owned

by France. How would his officials be able to

convince Napoleon to sell it—and how would

America pay for it? “The biggest real-estate deal in

history” would more than double the size of the United

States in 1803, making the young nation a major world power.

Th

e Louisian

a Pu

rchase


TheLouisianaPurchase

Hurricane KatrinaJamestown, VirginiaThe Lewis and Clark ExpeditionThe Louisiana PurchaseThe Mayflower CompactThe Montgomery Bus BoycottThe Salem Witch TrialsSeptember 11, 2001

The Stamp Act of 1765

The Trail of TearsThe Underground RailroadThe U.S. Constitution


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LouisianaPurchase

The

TURNING POINTS IN U.S. HISTORY

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Marshall Cavendish Benchmark

99 White Plains Road

Tarrytown, NY 10591

www.marshallcavendish.us

Text and map copyright © 2010 by Marshall Cavendish Corporation

Map on page 8 by XNR Productions

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by

any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any

information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright holders.

All Internet sites were available and accurate when sent to press.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fradin, Dennis B.

The Louisiana Purchase / by Dennis Brindell Fradin.

p. cm. — (Turning points in U.S. history)

Summary: “Covers the Louisiana Purchase as a watershed event in U.S. history, influencing social,

economic, and political policies that shaped the nation’s future”—Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-7614-4692-7 (e-book)

1. Louisiana Purchase—Juvenile literature. I. Title.

E333.F75 2010

973.4’6—dc22

2008036015

Photo Research by Connie GardnerCover Photo by Erich Lessing/Art Resource

Cover: The Louisiana Purchase document, with a map of New Orleans in the backgroundTitle Page: A 1904 U.S. postage stamp commemorating the Louisiana Purchase

The photographs in this book are used by permission and through the courtesy of: The Granger Collection: 3, 29, 36; Bridgeman Art Library: The Arrival of

Englishmen in Virginia (coloured engraving), White, John, British Museum, London, 6; The Handful Who Conquered an Empire, Baraldi Severino, gouache

on paper, 9; John Hancock signs the American Declaration of Independence, 4th of July 1776 (colour litho), 12; Port of New Orleans engraved by D. G.

Thompson (coloured engraving) Waud Alfred, R. 20; Robert Livingston, 1804 (oil on canvas), Livingston (1654-1728), Vanderlyn, John c Collection of the NY

Historical Society USA, 22; Alamy: North Wind Picture Archives, 10, 34, 35, Classic Image, 24, 25; the London Archive, 26; North Wind Picture Archives; 11, 15;

Getty Images: Hulton Archive, 14; Art Resource: Erich Lessing, 16, Scala, 18; Corbis: Bettmann, 23, 42-43; Corbis: Bettmann, 23, 42-43; Connie Ricca, 32.

Timeline: Corbis: Bettmann

Editor: Deborah Grahame

Publisher: Michelle Bisson

Art Director: Anahid Hamparian

Printed in Malaysia

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Contents

CHAPTER ONE: The Changing Map of North America 7

CHAPTER TWO: The Birth of the United States 13

CHAPTER THREE: The Dreams of Napoleon and Jefferson 17

CHAPTER FOUR: Napoleon Takes a Bath 21

CHAPTER FIVE: The Louisiana Purchase 27

CHAPTER SIX: A Turning Point 33

Glossary 40

Timeline 42

Further Information 44

Bibliography 46

Index 47

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This colored engraving by John White, titled The Arrival of the Englishmen in Virginia, is displayed at the British Museum in London.

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C H A P T E R O N E

The Changing Map

of North America

For many thousands of years, Native Americans had North America

to themselves. By the 1600s, Europeans had begun taking over the conti-

nent. Three main countries colonized North America: Britain, Spain,

and France.

Britain took control of what is now the East Coast of the United States.

England established Virginia, its first American colony, in 1607. Georgia,

Britain’s thirteenth and last American colony, was founded in 1733. Britain’s

thirteen colonies occupied just a thin strip of land along the Atlantic

Ocean, yet they were the seeds from which the United States grew.

Spain also claimed various parts of North America. Spain’s North

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T H E L O U I S I A N A P U R C H A S E

8

Lake Ontario

Lake Er i e

LakeHuron

A t l a n t i cO c e a n

N.H.

MASS.

R.I.CONN.

NEWYORK

PENNSYLVANIA

DEL.

VIRGINIA

NORTHCAROLINA

SOUTHCAROLINA

GEORGIA

NEWJERSEY

(part ofMassachusetts)

MD.

Boston

Philadelphia

Greenwich

Wilmington

Annapolis

New York

0

0

200 mi.100

200 km100

N

W E

S

areaenlarged

The original thir teen American colonies were settled between1607 and 1733.

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American empire included Mexico. It also included what is now the south-

western United States.

France was the third country that claimed North American lands. The

French flag flew over Canada. France also claimed a vast area on both sides

of the Mississippi River. The French called this region Louisiana for their

king, Louis XIV.

T H E C H A N G I N G M A P O F N O RT H A M E R I C A

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Legendary conqueror Hernando Cortés (1485–1547) is shown stepping ashore and encountering native people.

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Britain, France, and

Spain waged wars to

determine who would

reign supreme in Europe.

They argued and some-

times fought over control

of the New World, too.

For example, the French

and Indian War broke

out in 1754. On one side

was France, along with

its Native American and

Spanish allies. On the

other side was Britain,

whose allies included its

thirteen colonies and

some Native Americans. In 1762, as thanks for Spain’s help in the war,

France gave the Spanish a gift: all of its Louisiana territory west of the

Mississippi River.

The next year, 1763, Britain won the French and Indian War. As part of

the peace treaty, France had to turn over all of its Louisiana territory east

of the Mississippi River to Britain.


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Militiamen advance through the woods during the French and Indian War.

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As a result, by the end of

1763 the map of what is

now the United States had

changed. Britain ruled most

of the land east of the

Mississippi River. Spain

claimed most of the land

west of the river. France

no longer had a Louisiana

territory—at least for the

time being. Yet just a few

years later, the map would

change again.

T H E C H A N G I N G M A P O F N O RT H A M E R I C A

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These maps show land boundaries of North American possessions before(top) and after (bottom) the Frenchand Indian War.

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Because John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence first, his signature became famous. In fact, “John Hancock” has come to mean “signature.”

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C H A P T E R T W O

The Birth of the United States

In 1775 the American colonists rebelled against British rule. The next year,

colonial leaders issued the Declaration of Independence. This paper pro-

claimed that the thirteen colonies were breaking away from Britain. They

were now a new nation: the United States of America.

Declaring independence was the easy part. Winning it was far more difficult.

To do that, the United States had to defeat Britain in the Revolutionary War

(1775–1783). Fighting alone, the United States might have lost, for Britain was

the world’s strongest nation. France and Spain helped out, however. Those

two countries sought revenge against their old enemy, Britain. French

and Spanish aid helped the Americans win their war for independence.

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This 1775 poster invites young patriots to join the troops under General Washington to fight the American War of Independence.

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The United States and

Britain made a peace treaty in

1783. The Treaty of Paris

acknowledged the new coun-

try’s independence. The treaty

also established a new border

for the young nation. The

United States was no longer just

a thin strip along the Atlantic

Ocean. As part of the peace

agreement, Britain turned

over to the Americans most

of its land east of the

Mississippi River.

T H E B I RT H O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S

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This map shows U.S. land boundaries fixed by the treaty of 1783 after theRevolutionary War.

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An oil painting by Jacques Louis David depicts Napoleon Bonapar te grandly leading his troops.

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C H A P T E R T H R E E

The Dreams of

Napoleon and Jefferson

In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte seized power as France’s ruler. Napoleon was

a warlike leader with a large army at his command. His dream was to con-

quer the world. In 1800 he forced Spain to return the Louisiana Territory to

France. By that time the territory consisted of a huge amount of land west

of the Mississippi River. France did not do much to settle the Louisiana

Territory and held it only loosely.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Thomas Jefferson was elected president

in 1801. That year the United States celebrated its twenty-fifth birthday.

The country had grown enormously in its first quarter century. For one

thing, its population had more than doubled, from 2.5 million in 1776 to

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“Mister Mammoth”

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) had a motto:“It is wonderful how muchmay be done if we are alwaysdoing.” The tall, red-headedVirginian lived by these words.He was a lawyer. He wrote theDeclaration of Independence.He served as the nation’s vicepresident from 1797 to 1801and as president from 1801 to1809. He was a fine violinist.He was an architect whodesigned the Virginia statecapitol in Richmond. Jeffersonalso founded the University ofVirginia, invented a new kindof plow, and was called Mr.Mammoth because he collectedprehistoric fossils. Thomas

Jefferson lived to the age of eighty-three. He even died on a special day—July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

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5.5 million in 1801. Instead of thirteen states, there were now sixteen—

Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee had joined the Union.

Also during that first quarter century, settlers had moved steadily west-

ward. For example, by 1801 Alabama was home to more than 100,000

people. Ohio’s population was about 50,000, while Mississippi’s was

around 10,000 and Indiana’s about 7,000. These and many other territories

east of the Mississippi River would become states in the first few decades of

the nineteenth century.

What about the vast Louisiana Territory west of the Mississippi River?

These were the lands France had reclaimed and now loosely held. President

Jefferson dreamed of adding these lands to the United States, too. The

Louisiana Territory was a place of mystery to Jefferson and other

Americans. Its land, rivers, and mountains were unknown and unmapped.

Many people told tall stories about the area. For example, it was said that

some of the region’s Native Americans were giants. Some people claimed

the Louisiana Territory was the site of a nearly 200-mile-long (320-kilo-

meter-long) mountain of pure salt!

President Jefferson wanted to explore the Louisiana Territory with the

idea that the United States might one day own it. The problem was,

France was not about to give the Louisiana Territory away. And the

United States was in no position to tangle with Napoleon about it.

T H E D R E A M S O F N A P O L E O N A N D J E F F E R S O N

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A view of the port of New Orleans. Founded by the French Mississippi Company in 1718, the citywas under Spanish control from 1763 to 1801.

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C H A P T E R F O U R

Napoleon Takes a Bath

Upon becoming president, Thomas Jefferson appointed his friend

Robert Livingston as U.S. minister to France. Jefferson sent Livingston

to France on a mission. He was to try to buy the city and port of New

Orleans from France for the United States. New Orleans was an impor-

tant North American port for shipping. If the United States owned New

Orleans, Americans could ship beef, flour, wood, and other goods down

the Mississippi River to the city. From New Orleans the goods could be

shipped to many other places.

Livingston arrived in France in late 1801. He met with two of Napoleon’s top

officials. One was the French minister of finance, François de Barbé-Marbois.

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Livingston and the Louisiana Purchase

Robert Livingston (1747–1813) was born in New YorkCity. He graduated from whatis now Columbia Universityand became a well-knownlawyer. Livingston was on thecommittee in the ContinentalCongress that created theDeclaration of Independence.In 1789 he administered theoath of office when GeorgeWashington became thenation’s first president.Livingston played a vital rolein making the LouisianaPurchase. It is a little-knownfact that he was hard ofhearing. During the negotiations, the Frenchprobably had to yell in his earto make themselves heard.

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The other was Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, minister of foreign affairs.

Both took their orders directly from Napoleon.

Napoleon knew that the Americans would want more than just New

Orleans. They would be pleased to own all of the French territory. At the

time, Napoleon was planning to fight a war against England. Doing so

would cost a fortune. Where would the money come from? Napoleon con-

sidered offering the United States all of the Louisiana Territory for a large

sum of money.

N A P O L E O N TA K E S A B AT H

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Talleyrand and Barbé-Marbois discuss points of the Louisiana Purchase with Napoleon.

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He spoke to his officials about it. François

de Barbé-Marbois said that selling the

Louisiana Territory was a good idea.

The United States or Britain might

soon try to take the region by force

anyway. Napoleon might as well

sell the land and get something for

it. Talleyrand disagreed. He insist-

ed that France could build a mighty

empire in its Louisiana Territory.

Napoleon leaned more and more

toward selling the region. His broth-

ers, Lucien and Joseph Bonaparte, heard

about the possible sale. Like Talleyrand,

they thought it best for France to keep

the territory. One morning, in the spring

of 1803, Lucien and Joseph visited Napoleon at his palace in Paris. They

walked in on their brother as he was taking a bath and advised him against

selling Louisiana.

Napoleon grew angry with his brothers. “There will be no debate!” he said,

meaning that his word was final. When his brothers continued to argue,

Napoleon stood up in his bathtub and yelled at Lucien and Joseph. He was


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Lucien Bonapar te (1775–1840)

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so furious that he fell back in the tub and

splashed his brothers with water.

The argument with his brothers

seems to have helped convince

Napoleon to sell Louisiana to the

Americans. Napoleon told his assis-

tants to see what the Americans

would offer not just for New Orleans

but the entire Louisiana Territory.

Robert Livingston was still doing

his best to obtain New Orleans for

Jefferson. On April 11, 1803, Talley-

rand invited Livingston to his office for

a talk. Suddenly Talleyrand made a sur-

prising remark. He said something like,

“Would you Americans wish to have

the whole of Louisiana? I should like to know what you would give for the

whole.” This paved the way for what has been called the biggest real-estate

deal in history.

N A P O L E O N TA K E S A B AT H

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Joseph Bonapar te (1768–1844)

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Charles Maurice de Talleyrand (1754–1838) was an important diplomat but was not well liked by Napoleon.

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C H A P T E R F I V E


After Talleyrand offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory, Livingston

was not sure how much to offer for it. He named a very low figure. The

United States was willing to pay $4 million for the territory, Livingston

said. As Livingston had expected, Talleyrand insisted that the Louisiana

Territory was worth far more than that.

The next day, April 12, 1803, James Monroe arrived in Paris. President

Jefferson had sent Monroe to France to help Livingston obtain New Orleans.

Livingston told Monroe that he favored “making a push to buy the whole

territory.” Monroe agreed. He and Livingston planned their strategy. They

expected the French to ask for a very large sum for the Louisiana Territory.

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They would begin by offering a low figure. In the end, the two sides might

meet somewhere in the middle.

Over the next several days, the two sides haggled. Livingston and Monroe

negotiated for the United States. François de Barbé-Marbois was France’s

main negotiator. Barbé-Marbois began by saying that Napoleon wanted at

least $20 million for the Louisiana Territory. The Americans countered

with an offer of $8 million. That was not nearly enough, insisted Barbé-

Marbois. He insisted that Napoleon’s bottom price was $16 million. That

was a little too steep for the United States, said Monroe and Livingston.

However, they raised their offer to $12 million.

If the Americans could go a few million dollars higher, they would have

a deal, said Barbé-Marbois. Finally, on April 30, the two Americans and the

Frenchman reached an agreement. France would sell the Louisiana

Territory to the United States for $15 million. Two days later, on May 2,

1803, the treaty was signed.

Livingston and Monroe were excited that the United States was gaining

such a huge piece of land. As the deal was completed, Livingston declared,

“This is the noblest work of our whole lives!”

In the early 1800s, there were no telegraphs or telephones. News traveled

slowly between Europe and America by ship. Not until July 3, 1803, did

news of the Louisiana Purchase treaty reach the White House in


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Barbé-Marbois, Livingston, and Monroe signed the document on May 2, 1803.

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Washington, D.C. President Jefferson was very happy about the news,

which came one day before the nation’s twenty-seventh birthday. The pur-

chase was not official just yet, however.

According to the U.S. Constitution, a treaty could only take effect if two

things happened. First, the president had to approve, which Jefferson did.

Second, two-thirds of the Senate had to grant its approval. This was not so


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“The Last of the Cocked Hats”

James Monroe (1758–1831) was born in Virginia and attended the College of William and Mary. He dropped out of college to fight in the Revolutionary War. Monroe took part in several battles and waswounded at the Battle of Trenton in New Jersey. Later he studied law underThomas Jefferson, who once said, “Monroe is so honest that if you turnedhis soul inside out, there would be no spot upon it.” James Monroe servedas U.S. secretary of state and secretary of war. In fact, he held both posts atthe same time. He was the fifth U.S. president from 1817 to 1825. PresidentMonroe liked to wear old three-cornered hats from Revolutionary days.This gave rise to his nickname: the Last of the Cocked Hats.

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certain, for the United States had little money at the time. Some Americans

thought that the country had no business spending $15 million for an

unknown tract of land.

The Senate voted on the purchase on October 20, 1803. The vast majority

of senators sided with President Jefferson. The Senate approved the treaty

by a 24–7 vote. That was more than the two-thirds required to put the

treaty into effect. The Louisiana Purchase was official.


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This bronze relief sculpture, The Signing of the Treaty, was created by Karl Bitter for Missouri’s St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.

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C H A P T E R S I X

A Turning Point

The United States had another problem. It did not have the money to pay

for the Louisiana Purchase. The country had to borrow large sums from

banks in England and the Netherlands. Since interest had to be paid on the

loans, the U.S. government ended up spending much more than $15 mil-

lion. The actual cost of the Louisiana Purchase wound up being about

$23.2 million. This would equal about $500 million or half a billion dol-

lars in today’s money.

Still, the Louisiana Purchase turned out to be a fantastic deal for the

United States. The country received 828,000 square miles (2,144,510 square

km) of land west of the Mississippi River. For each square mile of land

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gained, the government paid only about $30 in the money of the early

1800s. That was a low price, considering that eventually part or all of fif-

teen states were carved out of the territory: Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri,


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This map shows the large area of land that the United States gained as a result of the Louisiana Purchase.

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Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota,

North Dakota, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

Acquiring all this land was a turning point for the United States in sever-

al ways. The United States now had possession of New Orleans, as Jefferson

had wanted. The young nation had gained vast lands for pioneers who

A T U R N I N G P O I N T

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Wagons head West on the National Road, built with federal funds a few years after the treaty opened the territory to settlers.

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This painting shows a December 20, 1803, ceremony in New Orleans marking the Louisiana Purchase agreement.

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wanted to settle west of the Mississippi River. This paved the way for

tremendous numbers of settlers to come to the United States in the years

that followed. In the deal, the young country acquired some rich farm-

lands. These fertile lands would feed America’s growing population as well

as people around the world.

Also, by doubling its size, the United States became a much stronger nation

than it had been earlier. In fact, some historians believe that the Louisiana

Purchase marked the start of the United States as a great world power.


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The Emperor of France

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) was born on Corsica, an island that belonged to France at the time. He enrolled in a military school in France at the age of nine and joined the French army at sixteen.By the age of twenty-four he had risen to become a general.

Napoleon won battle after battle. He steadily gained power until hewas crowned emperor of France in 1804. Although he was 5 feet 2 inches(1.57 meters) tall, Napoleon was strong and had an iron will. He sometimesworked eighteen straight hours. His empire eventually covered much ofEurope. However, his army was finally crushed at Waterloo, in what is nowBelgium. Ever since, people who fall from power due to a sudden, massivedefeat are said to have “met their Waterloo.”

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This map follows the Lewis and Clark Trail: the purple line traces the preparation, the green line,the recruitment of fellow explorers, and the red line, the exploration.

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To the Native Americans, though, the Louisiana Purchase proved to be a

sad turning point. When the French had held the territory, native peoples

had been left alone for the most part. After the Americans took over, pioneers

pushed the tribes off their lands, just as had happened on the East Coast.

What of the two leaders of their countries? Napoleon never achieved his

dream of ruling the world. In 1815 the British and their allies smashed

Napoleon’s army at the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon spent his last years

imprisoned on the remote British island of St. Helena, in the South Atlantic.

President Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand, saw his dream of west-

ward expansion fulfilled. In 1804 he sent Meriwether Lewis and William

Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase and other portions of the American

West. The Lewis and Clark expedition paved the way for the United States

to claim even more western lands. By the time Jefferson died on July 4,

1826—the nation’s fiftieth birthday—the United States was on its way to

extending “from sea to shining sea.”


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architect—A person who designs buildings and other structures.

colony—A settlement that a country establishes outside of its own borders.

debate—An argument or discussion with two or more “sides.”

empire—All the places and areas claimed by a country.

expansion—Growth or enlargement.

fertile—Rich; capable of being very productive.

independence—Freedom or self-government.

negotiated—Discussed with the purpose of making a deal or reaching an

agreement.

pioneers—People who are among the first to move into a region.

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Glossary

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prehistoric—Relating to a period before written history; extremely old.

strategy—A plan for a course of action.

territory—A region claimed by a country.

treaty—An agreement made between countries to establish peace or to

cooperate in some way.

G L O S S A RY

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1776

Timeline

1607 17631733

1682—Frenchman La Salle explores

the Mississippi River and claims

vast territory for France

1707—England and Scotland

unite to form Great Britain

1733—Britain founds Georgia,

its thirteenth and last

American colony

1565—Spaniards found St. Augustine,

Florida, the first permanent European

town in what is now the United States

1607—England establishes Virginia,

the first of its thirteen American

colonies

1763—Britain wins the

French and Indian War; as

part of the peace treaty,

France turns over all its

Louisiana territory east of

the Mississippi River to

Britain

1776—The United States

declares independence

from Britain

1754—The French and Indian

War begins

1762—France grants all its

Louisiana territory west of the

Mississippi River to Spain

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1783 20031803

1783—With French and Spanish help, the

Americans win the Revolutionary War;

as part of the peace treaty, Britain grants

most of its land east of the Mississippi

River to the United States

1801—Thomas Jefferson is elected

third U.S. president; he encour-

ages westward expansion

1803—Robert Livingston and James

Monroe negotiate the Louisiana

Purchase for the United States

1804–1806—President

Jefferson sends the Lewis

and Clark expedition to

explore the Louisiana

Purchase and other parts

of the American West1799—Napoleon Bonaparte seizes

power as France’s ruler

1800—Napoleon forces Spain to

return its Louisiana territory—a

huge amount of land west of the

Mississippi River—to France

1903—The United States

celebrates the one-

hundredth anniversary

of the Louisiana

Purchase

2003—The United

States celebrates the

two-hundredth

anniversary of the

Louisiana Purchase

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Nelson, Sheila. Thomas Jefferson’s America: The Louisiana Purchase

1800–1811. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2005.

Schlaepfer, Gloria G. The Louisiana Purchase. New York: Franklin Watts,

2005.

Steele, Christy. The Louisiana Purchase. Milwaukee: World Almanac Library,

2005.

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Further Information

B O O K S

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W E B S I T E S

For information about the Louisiana Purchase especially for kids:

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/louisianapur-

chase.htm

For interesting information and pictures relating to the Louisiana Purchase:

http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/cabildo/cab4.htm

F U RT H E R I N F O R M AT I O N

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Blumberg, Rhoda. What’s the Deal? Jefferson, Napoleon, and the Louisiana

Purchase. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1998.

Cerami, Charles A. Jefferson’s Great Gamble: The Remarkable Story of

Jefferson, Napoleon and the Men Behind the Louisiana Purchase.

Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2003.

Chidsey, Donald Barr. Louisiana Purchase. New York: Crown, 1972.

Fleming, Thomas. The Louisiana Purchase. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &

Sons, 2003.

Keats, John. Eminent Domain: The Louisiana Purchase and the Making of

America. New York: Charterhouse, 1973.

Kukla, Jon. A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the

Destiny of America. New York: Knopf, 2003.

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Bibliography

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4 7

American colonies, 6, 7, 8, 9–11Arrival of the Englishmen in

Virginia (White), 6

Barbé-Marbois, François de, 21, 23,23, 24, 28, 29

Bonaparte, Joseph, 24–25, 25Bonaparte, Lucien, 24, 24–25Bonaparte, Napoleon, 16, 17, 23,

23–25, 37, 39borders, of the United States, 15,

15, 34borrowing money, for Louisiana

Purchase, 33

Clark, William, 39Constitution, U.S., 30–31Cortés, Hernando, 9cost, of Louisiana Purchase, 28,

33–34

Declaration of Independence, 12,13, 18

farmland, Louisiana Purchase and,37

FranceAmerican colonies and, 9, 10–11Louisiana Territory and, 23–25Napoleon Bonaparte and, 37, 39negotiations, for Louisiana

Purchase, 27–28Revolutionary War and, 13

French and Indian War, 10, 10–11

Great BritainAmerican colonies and, 6, 7,

10–11Napoleon Bonaparte and, 23, 39Revolutionary War and, 13

Hancock, John, 12

Jefferson, Thomas, 17, 18, 18Lewis and Clark expedition and,

39Louisiana Purchase and, 29, 30Robert Livingston and, 21

Lewis, Meriwether, 39Lewis and Clark expedition, 38, 39Livingston, Robert, 21, 22, 22, 25,

29Louisiana Purchase, 27–28, 30–31,

33Louisiana Territory, 9, 17, 19,

23–25

mapsAmerican colonies, 8, 11Lewis and Clark expedition, 38Louisiana Purchase, 33United States, 15

Monroe, James, 27–28, 29, 30myths and legends, Louisiana

Territory and, 19

Native Americans, 10, 39negotiations, for Louisiana

Purchase, 27–28, 30–31New Orleans, 20, 21, 25, 35, 36

pioneers, 19, 34, 35, 37port cities, importance of, 21

recruitment poster, RevolutionaryWar and, 14

Revolutionary War, 13, 15

Senate, U.S., treaties and, 30–31settlers, Western United States and,

19, 34, 35, 37Signing of the Treaty (sculpture), 32Spain

American colonies and, 7, 9, 10,11

Louisiana Territory and, 17Revolutionary War and, 13

states, in Louisiana Territory, 34–35

Talleyrand, Charles Maurice de, 23,23, 24, 25, 26

treaties, 15, 28, 30–31Treaty of Paris, 15

United Statesmaps of, 15, 33population of, 17, 19Revolutionary War and, 13, 15as world power, 37

Waterloo, Battle of, 37, 39world power, United States as, 37

IndexPage numbers in boldface are illustrations.

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About the Author

Dennis Fradin is the author of 150 books, some of them written with his

wife, Judith Bloom Fradin. Their book for Clarion, The Power of One: Daisy

Bates and the Little Rock Nine, was named a Golden Kite Honor Book.

Another of Dennis’s well-known books is Let It Begin Here! Lexington &

Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution, published by Walker.

Other recent books by the Fradins include Jane Addams: Champion of

Democracy for Clarion and 5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft’s

Flight from Slavery for National Geographic Children’s Books. Their cur-

rent project for National Geographic is the Witness to Disaster series about

natural disasters. Turning Points in U.S. History is Dennis’s first series for

Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. The Fradins have three grown children

and five grandchildren.

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TURNING POINTS IN U.S. HISTORYTURNING POINTS IN U.S. HISTORY

TITLES IN THIS SERIES

The AlamoThe Assassination of Abraham LincolnThe Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of YorktownThe Bill of RightsThe Boston MassacreThe Boston Tea PartyThe California Gold RushCuster’s Last StandThe Declaration of IndependenceThe Emancipation ProclamationThe First Lunar Landing

Fra

din

President Thomas Jefferson wanted to purchase the mysterious

territory west of the Mississippi, owned

by France. How would his officials be able to

convince Napoleon to sell it—and how would

America pay for it? “The biggest real-estate deal in

history” would more than double the size of the United

States in 1803, making the young nation a major world power.

Th

e Louisian

a Pu

rchase



Hurricane KatrinaJamestown, VirginiaThe Lewis and Clark ExpeditionThe Louisiana PurchaseThe Mayflower CompactThe Montgomery Bus BoycottThe Salem Witch TrialsSeptember 11, 2001

The Stamp Act of 1765

The Trail of TearsThe Underground RailroadThe U.S. Constitution


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Documents

The Louisiana Purchase