Louisiana Purchase

The United States acquired Louisiana from France over 190 years ago. On April 30, 1803, one of the greatest real estate deals in history took place - one that would double the size of the country and put the United States in a position to become a world power. Over 900,000 square miles - nearly 600 million acres - were purchased for 15 million dollars (an average of only four cents an acre!). The vast Louisiana Territory was purchased for 60 Million …

…aside his idealism to tell his supporters in Congress that "what is practicable must often control what is pure theory." The majority agreed. Jefferson later admitted that he had stretched his power "till it cracked" in order to buy Louisiana, the largest single land purchase in American history. As a result, generations of Americans for nearly 200 years have been the beneficiaries of Jefferson’s noble vision of America and his efforts at expanding the continent.