But Livingston, although an inexperienced diplomat, tried to keep himself informed about the country to which he was ambassador. Louis. [8] In 1801, Jefferson supported France in its plan to take back Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), which was then under control of Toussaint Louverture after a slave rebellion. With the failure to retake Saint-Domingue and the inevitability of renewed war between France and Britain, Napoleon refigured his political calculus. This was emphasized when in the memoir of Franois Barb-Marbois, Napoleon gave up his claim to the territory saying, "Irresolution and deliberation are no longer in season. Advertising Notice It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to think you can establish a global empire, and Napoleon Bonaparte is no exception. The rest was history. This respite gave Napoleon breathing room in his failed attempt to recover Saint-Domingue. Acquiring the territory doubled the size of the United States. Plans were also set forth for several missions to explore and chart the territory, the most famous being the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Why did France give Louisiana to Spain? - KnowledgeBurrow.com That leads to the question as to why on Earth would France sell so much land, or at least the rights to it 828,000 acres for what amounted to 4 cents an acre? It was even subject to a speculative bubble which ruined fortunes. He could not or did not see the value in sending troops to defend worthless Louisiana, not with Saint-Domingue out of the equation. The Louisiana territory was born on April 9, 1682, when the French explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur (Lord) de La Salle, erected a cross and column near the mouth of the Mississippi and solemnly read a declaration to a group of bemused Indians. Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. Lucien said that the legislative chambers of the French government would not approve it, to which Napoleon replied that he would do it without their consent. Nobody really knows what post-victory plans for New Orleans and Upper Louisiana were given by the British government to Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and his second-in-command Major General Samuel Gibbs because both generals were killed in action at the Battle of New Orleans. [12], Although the foreign minister Talleyrand opposed the plan, on April 10, 1803, Napoleon told the Treasury Minister Franois Barb-Marbois that he was considering selling the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. Terms of Use Napoleon Bonaparte sold the land because he needed money for the Great French War. We strive for accuracy and fairness. By any measure, it was one of the most colossal land transactions in history, involving an area larger than todays France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and the British Isles combined. Napoleon was reported to have said of Louisiana in his treasury minister's memoir, "To attempt obstinately to retain it would be folly.". In 1718, French explorer Jean-Baptiste le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, founded a settlement near the site of La Salles proclamation, and named it la Nouvelle Orlans for Philippe, Duke of Orlans and Regent of France. Why did France sell the Louisiana Purchase to the United States When Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, he altered the shape of a nation and the course of history Joseph A. Harriss April 2003 The Louisiana Purchase nearly. At roughly the same time, a slave revolt broke out in the French held island of . [citation needed], Governing the Louisiana Territory was more difficult than acquiring it. Hed planned to send troops to Louisiana to take over the colony, which he had received from the Spanish through a secrettreatyin 1800, in the hopes ofusingthe territory as a trade venue for the commodities produced in Haiti. The Federalists even tried to prove the land belonged to Spain, not France, but available records proved otherwise. In need of funds, Napoleon pressed the banks to complete their purchase of the bonds as quickly as possible, and by April 1804 the banks transferred an additional 40.35 million francs to fully discharge their obligations to France. Bruce Kauffmann is a historian, syndicated columnist, author, and speaker. At the time, Britain and France were at war in Europe, and if France had not sold Louisiana that war would most likely have spread to North America. iv. This made it difficult, when compared to Britain, to obtain the necessary money to wage large-scale wars.