The Louisiana Purchase was one of the most controversial things Thomas Jefferson has done during his presidential term. To put it simply, it was a land deal between France and America. It started when Napoleon Bonaparte, a successful French military leader, and statesman, gave an offer to Jefferson. ?How is this relevant? Born on a small French island, Napoleon will soon have a great impact, not only in his home country-France- but also in America. When Napoleon was leading the Haitian Revolution, he realized that he and his army were going bankrupt due to the war. Knowing that if they wanted to win the war they needed a way to have access to more money in a short span of time. This is when Napoleon had the idea to sell the Louisiana Territory, which was in Frances control at the time. Around the same time, America was trying to achieve their ideology of Manifest Destiny, Americans belief and justification for expanding westwards. The phrase, Manifest Destiny meant that no matter what, Americas goal is to expand west and place their brand westwards. So when America has presented the offer of almost doubling their land for only 15 million, Jefferson was more than willing to buy it. However, his constitutional rights did not grant him the power to do so. Jefferson
was always a strict believer of the Constitution, meaning he and his party believed in a strict representation of the Constitution. The constitution never gave presidents the right to buy foreign land, and this was when controversy struck. However, Jefferson really felt like the Louisiana purchase was needed for the country. So, when the Senate eventually gave permission to buy the Louisiana territory, the reaction from Americans was mixed. Some citizens were just as eager as Jefferson for the newly acquired land. They viewed this land as 827,000 square miles of potential. However, some believed this was a hypocritical purchase. Jefferson went against his own strict beliefs of the Constitution so he could obtain this land. Aside from the opposing opinions of the citizens, this territory brought heaps of benefits for America. Firstly, 15 million for almost 827,000 square miles of land is extremely cheap, considering it is only 4 cents an acre. When Jefferson set up an expedition for exploring the land, they found many natural resources that could potentially help America in the future. Lastly, the new area gave America more access to trade with other nations. Overall, the Louisiana purchase generated some disputation, but it substantially impacted Americas growth.