Or 80 million French francs (the final transaction amount for the US, including interest on the loan, was 23,213,568 US dollars). Based on this, the price of one acre was 3 cents (7 cents per hectare).
On the territories that have departed in favor of the United States under the treaty of 1803, the modern states are currently located:
- southern Minnesota,
- most of North Dakota,
- virtually the entire state of South Dakota,
- northeastern New Mexico,
- most of Montana,
- part of Wyoming,
- north Texas,
- eastern half of Colorado,
- part of Louisiana (on both sides of the Mississippi River), including the city of New Orleans.
During the negotiations and directly during the transaction, Spain declared its claims to part of the territory of Oklahoma and the southwestern part of the states of Kansas and Louisiana. According to the treaty, territories that eventually became part of the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan departed for the United States. The land acquired as a result of the transaction amounted to about 23% of the territory of the modern United States of America.
The Louisiana Purchase became one of the important milestones in the political life of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Although Jefferson was concerned about the legality of the deal (the US Constitution did not contain articles on the acquisition of territories from foreign countries), he nevertheless decided to make a deal due to the fact that France and Spain prevented the Americans from trading through the port of New Orleans.
Prologue
Louisiana has been a Spanish colony since 1762. Due to its favorable geographical position, New Orleans completely controlled the Mississippi River, one of the main waterways of North America, and was an important transit point for which, in accordance with the Pinckney Treaty signed with Spain on October 27, 1795, American citizens received the right to export trade through the port New Orleans. The Americans were also given the right to use the port to transship flour, tobacco, pork, lard, poultry feathers, cider, butter, and cheese between the eastern and western states. The treaty also recognized the right of the American side, in view of the growth of business activity, to navigate the entire Mississippi River.
French government offices left New Orleans by December 1803, and on March 10, 1804, an official ceremony was held in the city of St. Louis at which the ownership of Louisiana was transferred from France to the United States. Starting October 1, 1804, the acquired lands were transformed into the Orleans Territory (eng. Orleans Territory ) (later the lands of the State of Louisiana and the District of Louisiana (eng. District of Louisiana ). The new state administrative divisions were under the control of the governor and judges of the Indian Territories (Eng. Indiana Territory ).
Borders
At the time of the sale of Louisiana itself, it was not well studied, and its boundaries were not clearly defined. France took advantage of this circumstance, not wanting to aggravate relations with Spain, refusing to determine the southern and western borders of the territory being sold.
The northern border of the acquired territories extended beyond the 50th parallel. However, lands above the 49th parallel (Red River) red river ), Milk River (Eng. milk river ) and Poplar River (Eng. Poplar River ) were transferred to Great Britain under the Anglo-American Convention of 1818 (eng. Anglo-American Convention of 1818 ).
The eastern borders of Louisiana were defined by the mouth of the Mississippi River at the 31st parallel, although the location of the mouth of the Mississippi was not known at that time. The eastern limit below the 31st parallel was not defined; The United States claimed territory downstream of the Perdido River. Perdido River ), and Spain defined the boundaries of its Florida colony along the Mississippi River. Treaty signed with Spain in 1819 Treaty with Spain of 1819 ) removed these contradictions. Today, the 31st parallel is the northern limit of the western part of the Florida peninsula. Florida Panhandle), and the Perdido River is the official border between the states of Florida and Alabama.
The deal pushed the western frontier to the Rocky Mountains. Rocky Mountains) bounded by the Continental Divide.
The southern border of the acquired territory was also not defined at the time of the purchase. Official demarcation lines were established only as a result of the signing of the Adams-Onis Treaty. This was preceded by the creation of the Sabin Free State (eng. Sabine Free State ) under the Neutral Lands Treaty of 1806 (eng. the Neutral Ground Treaty of 1806 ) in the disputed territories.
Almost all of the acquired land was occupied by the American Indians, from whom the land was repurchased, step by step. The total amount paid to the Indians for the land exceeded the purchase price of the same land from France. In fact, as a result of the deal, France acquired not the right to the territory, but the right to redeem these territories from the Indians. And with the Indians themselves, as with the indigenous inhabitants of these lands, neither sellers nor buyers consulted. Most Indians never even knew about the deal.
The financial side of the deal
To pay for the deal, the US government used bonds. France, being at war with Great Britain, did not want to buy or exchange American bonds. But the American diplomats Livingston and Monroe recommended that the Baring banking house in London and the Hope Bank in Amsterdam be used for the deal ( Hope & Co.). The French representatives accepted this offer and, given Napoleon's impatience to get the money from the deal as quickly as possible, the French finance minister Barbe-Marbois arranged with the banks to exchange American bonds for cash. After the American bonds were delivered to Europe, the French side sold them to Barings and Hope at a discount. Part of the sixty million francs (approximately fifteen million US dollars) was used to set off debts between France and the United States. In the final settlement, the French side received 8,831,250 US dollars.
Up to bankruptcy
United States, which forever turned this country towards imperialism. The vast territory of what was then Louisiana (2,100,000 sq. km) has a conditional relation to the current small state of the same name. To be convinced of this, it is enough to look at historical maps. In terms of simple comparisons, by annexing Louisiana, the United States doubled its territorial size at once, having received enormous resources for economic growth and further unbridled territorial expansion.
After independence, the US authorities lifted the British ban on settling behind the Allegheny Mountains, and colonists moved west en masse. But the movement had its own geographical limits - they rested on the borders of Louisiana. The history of this territory is quite complicated, and it belonged in turn to the French, then to the Spaniards, and at the beginning of the 19th century was in the process of another transfer from Spain to France under the Treaty of San Ildefonso.
The United States was primarily interested in acquiring New Orleans, through which American trade between the western and eastern outskirts went. Goods traveled down the Mississippi, across the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean to the East Coast of the United States. The goods went back the same way. But the exit from the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico was blocked by New Orleans, and it was precisely this strategic area that the then US President Thomas Jefferson planned to take control of. There was no talk of buying all of Louisiana at that time, although such thoughts were already expressed in the environment of the head of state.
Although there was an agreement with Spain on the free transit of many goods, this did not remove the severity of the problem and more reliable guarantees were required.
In order to carry out diplomatic soundings, a mission was sent to Paris in the person of James Monroe (the future fifth president of the United States and author of the famous expansionist Monroe Doctrine) and Robert Livingston. Pierre-Samuel Dupont, who had extensive connections in the ruling circles of France, was attached to them as an assistant. Together they were to influence Napoleon Bonaparte and convince him to sell New Orleans and the surrounding territories to the United States.
By 1803, relations between Paris and London had deteriorated so much that open war became inevitable. Knowing about the uncomfortable position of France, the Americans increasingly allowed themselves remarks like "sell, or take by force." They were spoken more in private conversations, but the mood of the young power reflected accurately. However, Napoleon himself understood how defenseless possessions in the New World remain. Remembering the sad fate of Acadia, the French possession in North America, conquered earlier by the British, the First Consul of the French Republic decided to sell. The future emperor considered the war at home to be more important than overseas adventures.
By the way, there is an alternative version of events, indicating that the French offer to sell fell on American diplomats like a bolt from the blue - after all, they had the funds and authority only to buy New Orleans.
The contract of sale was signed on April 30, 1803 in Paris, and the actual transfer of sovereignty took place a year later on March 10, 1804. The territory was eventually sold for 15 million dollars, of which 11 million 250 thousand were paid immediately, and the rest went to pay off France's debt to US citizens. The benefit to the United States was colossal on every side. However, in the United States itself at that time there was still no consensus on whether this purchase was useful or not, not to mention the sharply aggravated relations with Great Britain and Spain.
The Spaniards, who planned to cover their continental possessions as a shield with French Louisiana, strongly opposed the deal, but the United States ignored their opinion. Caught in a strategically disadvantageous position, Spain was later forced to cede Florida as well.
In 1818, after the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815, the very north of Louisiana retreated to Britain, after which the border was finally straightened and took on a modern look.
With the loss of Louisiana, France lost all possessions in North America and only in 1816 did Saint Pierre and Miquelon, tiny islands off the coast of Newfoundland, return to France.
For Russia, the French situation will be exactly repeated more than half a century later in the case of Alaska. Having a constant threat in Europe, military conflicts in Central Asia, as well as a troubled border with China and Japan, the maintenance of the North American possessions still seemed to Alexander II an unaffordable luxury. They got rid of the remote and sparsely populated territory through the sale, so as not to lose it by military means.
215 years ago, on April 30, 1803, the greatest real estate transaction in the history of mankind took place in Paris. One side was not happy with her, and the other was almost horrified. Nevertheless, the treaty that France sells to the North American United States a territory the size of a quarter of all of Europe was signed and became a reality.
The territory was called Louisiana, and only the name unites it with the current state of the United States. Louisiana, more than two hundred years old, now contains 15 states. The total area is almost 2.5 million square meters. km. Robert Livingston, who signed the sale and purchase agreement on the American side, uttered a phrase on this occasion that later became famous: “We have lived a long life, but this is the most remarkable achievement of our whole life. From this day on, the United States has taken its place among the first powers of the world." Note: this was said by a man who is part of the pantheon of the "Founding Fathers of the United States." The man who drafted the Declaration of Independence. However, he himself believes that on the scales of Big History, the purchase of Louisiana weighs much more than the acquisition of independence by his homeland.But the victorious fanfare and the realization of greatness came later. On that April day, both Robert Livingston and his partner James Monroe belonged precisely to the side that was terrified. Perhaps they even secretly prayed that the whole thing would turn out to be a bad dream and would not happen at all. The most interesting thing is that all this really could not have taken place. And then the loose enclave of a dozen and a half states, clinging to the east coast of America, would have a very illusory chance of becoming a superpower.
Land acquired by the United States under the Louisiana Purchase. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Settle forever
A significant and politically very influential part of the elite of the youngest state of the Earth sincerely believed that territorial acquisitions could only spoil the cause of nation building. There were reasons for this. The territory of the then United States totaled approximately 2 million square meters. km. The population is less than 6 million people. And at least one million of these six are slaves. That is, by the standards and concepts of that time, not quite real people.
Controllability with such dispersion is already bad. But what if people decide to settle further west? After all, they will scatter so that you will not find it. By the way, there were good reasons for this. People really wanted to leave. By the beginning of the 19th century, the lands in the controlled territory were bought up and divided. Millions of migrants dreamed of a better life, of becoming masters and free people, but it turned out that the only option was to hunch back on those who came to America earlier and managed to cut the pie.
Until then, the excitement of the exodus was restrained by a direct ban on settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. However Thomas Jefferson, another "founding father" of the United States, pushed through the lifting of the ban. The stream rushed to the west. Now it was limited only by the Mississippi, beyond which a foreign land began.In principle, even this created problems. The states were divided by the Appalachian mountains to the west and east. Normal trade could be established only by sea: through the Gulf of Mexico, the port of New Orleans and further along the Mississippi.
The US government faced two main challenges. To prevent further dispersion of people west of the Mississippi - time. To make sure that New Orleans, standing, by the way, on that very foreign land, functions properly - two. And pray that this structure, already shaky, would somehow hold on.
Marshes in southern Louisiana. Swamp cypresses. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Napoleon in the New World
Confusion in a more or less working system brings - suddenly - Napoleon who seemed cramped in Europe. And who remembered just in time that Louisiana belongs to France. The plan was good. Restore the French base in Haiti. Based on it, to begin the real colonization of Louisiana, and in the long run - to undermine the British colonial power.
In 1801 the plan was put into action. And everything could have worked out: a corps of 20 thousand people was landed in Haiti. More than enough to regain control of the territory. But for the first time partisans, together with nature, came out against Napoleon. Black Haitians destroyed roads and poisoned wells. Heat. Tropics. Outbreak of "yellow fever": hepatitis. And in a matter of months, only one memory remained of the corps.
In fact, Napoleon did not particularly consider losses. And this modest failure would hardly have stopped his onslaught. France had the power to break into the New World for real and make Louisiana truly theirs. Only these forces now turned out to be desperately needed by Napoleon in Europe: the next round of confrontation with England began.
In a word, the alignment before the deal of all times and peoples was like this.
The United States is categorically against the expansion of the territory. They can barely handle even what they already have. And to keep going, they need New Orleans and the free navigation of the Mississippi. The government is even ready to pay for this joy.
Napoleon intends to meet with England in a deadly battle. And for the war he needs three things: money, money, and again money. And he decides to cede New Orleans to the USA. But with the added weight of the whole of Louisiana: in order to finally shake off this suitcase without a handle.
Learn to trade
A classic situation: you have a product, we have a merchant. Only one snag. The merchant in this case wants a single port town. And it looks with horror at a appendage the size of a quarter of Europe.
The trade was great.
Do it once. Napoleon is asking for $22 million for everything. Livingston and Monroe say that in fact it was only about New Orleans, the issue price is $ 8 million and this is all the money that the United States has in principle.
Do two. Napoleon is silent for three weeks. Tightly. And cunning French diplomats sing to two naive Americans that Mr. First Consul might change his mind. And even cooler: send another expeditionary force, but not to Haiti, but straight to the Mississippi.
do three. Monroe gets sick on a nervous basis: he lies in bed and cannot get up. Neuralgia, any movement causes pain. Livingston begs the French to take pity, but gets the standard answer: either take everything or shish you, not New Orleans.
Do four. After a real MAT pause, Napoleon suddenly cuts the price to $15 million. Americans feel great relief. And they sign a contract. Although there is no money and is not expected. And in general, it is not yet known how their efforts will be assessed at home.
The US Congress ratified the treaty with great difficulty, with reluctance and (almost against their will) only in the winter of 1803. The actual transfer of sovereignty took place in the spring of 1804, a whole year after the deal.And about the assessment of that agreement, a historian from the New Orleans Museum can say better than others Charles Chamberlain: “We received the forests and minerals of the mountains, a giant navigable river and the most fertile lands in its valley. Louisiana played a huge role in the development of the economic power that America achieved towards the end of the 19th century. If not for the Louisiana Purchase, the United States would be a small country on the edge of a huge continent occupied by English, French and Spanish colonies.
Andrey Zhigulev
The Louisiana Purchase is a major event in the early history of the United States.
Louisiana became a Spanish colony in 1762. New Orleans (now the largest city in the state), located in Louisiana, had a very advantageous geographical position. It turned out that the country that owns this city could control the entire Mississippi River. I think it is not worth talking about how important the economic importance of this river was, it is one of the most important water arteries in North America. On October 27, 1795, under an agreement with Spain, US citizens received the right to conduct export trade through New Orleans, the States had the right to navigate the entire Mississippi River. Also, the Americans could use the city to transship many important products between the western and eastern states.
But in 1798 the Spanish government terminated this agreement. This has become a very big problem for the United States. In 1801, due to the change of the Spanish governor, the treaty was renewed.
The Americans, still mindful of the trouble that the Spanish termination of the treaty had brought them, became worried. Thomas Jefferson (President of the United States from March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809) had a fear that his country might lose the right to trade through New Orleans. In the end, the 3rd President of the United States decided that the best way out would be to buy out the eastern part of Louisiana, in whose territory the coveted city was located. James Monroe and Robert Livingston went to Paris in order to hold preliminary negotiations. At first, the United States wanted to acquire only the territory of New Orleans and the lands adjacent to the port. But no one could even think about what proposal the French would put forward.
At first they answered with a categorical refusal. But then in Guadeloupe and San Dominica, an uprising of slaves against the French began. The Europeans lost a very large number of soldiers due to disease and the fierce opposition of the rebels. Napoleon understood that without a fleet, France would not be able to keep Louisiana, Great Britain or the United States could capture it without any problems. The plans of the French emperor concerning the New World were violated. The troops that were on American territory thinned out, a conflict began with Great Britain.
All this led to the fact that Napoleon revised his plans for a French colony in the New World. On April 10, 1803, the French finance minister receives notice that the head of state is giving the go-ahead for the sale of the entire Louisiana territory to the United States. The Americans were completely unprepared for such a stunning offer. The United States was supposed to pay $10 million for the territory of New Orleans. The French were ready to sell all of Louisiana for 15 million. The US government was shocked. On May 2, 1803, the treaty was signed; Thomas Jefferson succeeded in his plan. We can say that he even overfulfilled the plan. It is only worth noting that the size of the purchased territory was twice the size of the United States itself. There is no need to compare the modern state called Louisiana with the Louisiana of the early 19th century. Then it was just a huge area. At that time, Louisiana was an extremely uninhabited area. Almost all of its lands were inhabited by Indian tribes. The United States had to buy the territory of the state again, this time from them. By the way, the amount paid to various Indian tribes exceeded the amount that France received.
It is worth saying that not all Americans reacted positively to this purchase. Some felt that the government simply could not cope with the management of such an unexpectedly expanded territory of the country. Even Jefferson himself was not entirely sure that this purchase would be successful. But, fortunately, he overcame his doubts and on October 20, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase documents were submitted to the Senate.
Modern historians ironically refer to the Louisiana Purchase as the largest real estate transaction in history. Jefferson purchased 2.3 million square kilometers for such a small amount. It was a real stroke of luck. It is quite possible that if this deal had not taken place, we would now be seeing a completely different United States of America.
It was a territory with great potential for agriculture and animal husbandry. We can say that these lands were more fertile than the Ukrainian black soil.
After this purchase, the Americans felt like a chosen people, to whom God shows favor. Indeed, it was luck, which seemed fantastic.
At first, the Spanish government protested. After all, France sold Louisiana to the Americans in gross violation of its promise not to transfer the colony to anyone. The French did not even deign to inform Spain at least about the fact of the sale. However, France ignored the replica of the Spaniards - they then had much more important problems. And the United States informed the Spanish envoy in Washington that such issues should be resolved only between France and Spain.
-: Germany;
-: France;
-: Great Britain;
-: Russia;
The procedure for creating new US states was determined
-: Ordinance of 1787;
-: Bill of Rights;
-: Decision of the Senate;
First phase of the American Civil War
-: 1861-1862;
-: 1863-1864;
-: 1864-1865;
-: summer 1865;
In the XVIII century. the right to pardon and suspend the execution of sentences
-: Minister of Justice;
-: The president;
-: Congress;
-: parliament;
The judiciary in the United States is
-: the Supreme Court;
-: parliament;
-: President;
-: the Senate;
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution of 1787 are called
-: Constitutional convention;
-: Bill of Rights;
-: "Articles of Confederation";
-: Declaration of Independence;
The full independence of the United States was recognized by Great Britain with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in
-: 1783;
-: 1780;
-: 1789;
-: 1880;
Executive power in the USA (XVIII century) belonged to
-: Congress;
-: parliament;
-: the Senate;
-: President;
In the XVIII century. The President of the United States had the right
- develop a draft budget;
-: decide on the start of actual hostilities;
-: suspensive veto in respect of bills;
- : pronounce sentences;
The first state-legal document in the history of the United States that proclaimed the principle of national sovereignty and recognized the people's right to revolution was
-: Bill of Rights 1689;
-: Declaration of Independence;
-: "Articles of the Confederation";
-: Constitution;
To conduct the general affairs of the United States in the XVIII century. formed
-: parliament;
-: Congress;
-: State Council;
The German Confederation was formed
-: in 1810;
-: in 1814;
-: in 1815;
-: in 1820;
774. In 1847, at the conference of the Customs Union of German States, it was adopted (a)
-: Commercial Code;
-: All-German bill of exchange charter;
-: Constitution of the North German Confederation;
-: Declaration;
The highest representative body of the German Empire in the XIX century. was considered
-: Bundesrat;
-: Cabinet of Ministers;
-: Soyuz-Hanse;
-: Magistrate;
776.In the German Criminal Code of 1871, general issues of criminal law: on the stages of a crime, on complicity, etc. set out in
-: the first part of the code;
-: the second part of the code;
-: the third part of the code;
-: the fourth part of the code;
According to the German Criminal Code of 1871, this type of crime was in the first place.
-: against religion;
-: state;
-: against property and against the person;
-: police violations;
778. The German Civil Code of 1896 regulated more
-: 10 types of contracts;
-: 20 types of contracts;
-: 25 types of contracts;
-: 30 types of contracts;
779. Instead of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, ___ union was created
Rhine;
German;
North Germanic;
Greater Germanic;
The central government of the German Confederation is
Union Seimas;
Reichstag;
Bundestag;
Landtag;
781. "Little German way of unification" assumed the unification of German lands around
Prussia;
Bavaria;
Wüttemberg;
Saxony;
The German Empire was proclaimed in
According to the Prussian Constitution of 1850, legislative power belonged to
King and Landtag;
Reichstag;
Landtag;
The German Confederation was an alliance
Kingdoms and cities;
Kingdoms;
Cities;
785. A feature of the formation of the chamber of deputies of the Prussian parliament was (a)
Election by curiae;
Appointment by the king;
Indirect election system;
Appointment by the upper house;
played a leading role in the German Empire
Prussia;
Austria;
Bavaria;
Saxony;
The government of the German Empire personified
Chancellor;
Reichstag;
Minister-President;
Representation of territories in the German Empire carried out
Bundesrat;
Bundestag;
Reichstag;
Union Sejm;
Emperor of Germany could be
Only the Prussian king;
Any king of the four kingdoms within the empire;
Any of the monarchs of the states within the empire;
Anyone elected and approved by a plebiscite;
played a leading role in the German Confederation.
Austria;
Prussia;
Saxony;
Silesia;
791. The German civil code was built on the ___ system
pandectnoy;
institutional;
precedent;
Casuistic;
Unions of persons bound by membership rights and obligations, according to the German Civil Code, were
Fereyna;
institutions;
Joint stock companies;
The German Civil Code was adopted in
