THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE Essay resulted from the fear that the United States would
lose its free trade rights in the Louisiana territory. America had an agreement
with Spain for free trade rights that resulted from Pickney’s treaty of 1795
which granted American farmers the right to ship cargoes without paying
tolls. Spain granted American merchants the right to transport goods from
New Orleans to Atlantic ports without paying export duties. Since trading the
Louisiana territory to France for land in Europe, Spain no longer controlled
the area there for it voided all agreements for the free trade of America in the
Louisiana area. With the fear of losing these rights weighing heavily on the
shoulders of the Americans, president Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe
to Europe to try to persuade the British to accept a military alliance should the
Americans need help in the event of war with France over their trade rights.
He also sent American minister Robert Livingston to France, he gave
Livingston permission to spend as much as two million dollars to obtain as
much of the Louisiana territory as he could. Though Livingston was only
granted two million for this project he spent fifteen million, but he acquired
the entire Louisiana territory for that price. When he returned to report the
deal to President Jefferson, he was overjoyed at the progress that Livingston
had reported to him. The Louisiana Purchase did three things, first of all it
eliminated an European power from the continent, and it also prevented
Jefferson from having to form a military alliance with Britain. The purchase
also secured the Mississippi River for free use to transport goods to markets.
Finally the Louisiana Purchase literally doubled the size of the United States.
There was opposition to the purchase from certain individuals that said that
the purchase was unconstitutional, this debate kept party lines split. Ignoring
the constitutionality debate Jefferson submitted the purchase to congress for
ratification in November 1803, it passed with overwhelming support,
Jefferson defended this action from the critics by claiming “laws of necessity”
which can be defined as everything that is necessary to preserve a nation is
only illegal if it is not done to preserve the nation.