, United States (USA) (American Colonies)
1803 - Louisiana Purchase - The United States doubled its size by purchasing this territory from Spain. (October 20)

The Louisiana Purchase was a monumental event in U.S. history where the United States, on October 20, 1803, doubled its size by purchasing a vast territory from France, not Spain, for $15 million. This deal included land that would become 15 new states, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, and significantly expanded the nation's resources and geopolitical influence. The purchase was negotiated by President Thomas Jefferson and facilitated by France's need for funds due to the Napoleonic Wars.



Senate Ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty

In the 1800s, in the United States, pioneers and homesteaders eagerly moved west to start a new life in the plains, hills and mountains west of the Mississippi River. This movement could not have happened without the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, approved by the Senate on October 20, 1803, by a vote of 24-to-7. The agreement, which provided for the purchase of the western half of the Mississippi River basin from France at a price of approximately 4 cents per acre, doubled the size of the country. www.americaslibrary.gov

October 20, 1803

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