In 1803, America was just a small collection of states from what had once been the original 13 colonies. At that time, Europe was embroiled deep in war. Napoleon Bonaparte had conquered much of Europe and had won the Louisiana Territory from Spain three years earlier. Americans, seeing how powerful France was becoming, feared that France would invade them, too. But in 1803, Napoleon began to feel the costs of war. Napoleon had just lost a major battle and wanted to take over Great Britain. To gain money for his new strategy, Napoleon sold the Louisiana Purchase to the United States. President Thomas Jefferson paid $15 million for the land---about 5 cents per acre! Why did Napoleon give the U.S. such a deal? Like many tyrants, Napoleon wanted to conquer the world. Just because he sold the Louisiana Territory to the U.S., didn't mean he could not conquer it later. Fortunately for us, Napoleon lost his war, and thanks to him, the U.S. was well on its way to becoming a great nation.
What might have happened if the French did not sell us this land? Can you imagine this area being a French-speaking country and the U.S. being very small? It is hard to imagine, isn't it?
