Question

How did the Louisiana Purchase affect the United States' ideas and policies regarding citizenship?

Answer 1

The purchase of Louisiana had several effects on the U.S. The first effect is that it has tripled the country's population. The boundaries extended to the Rocky Mountains from the Atlantic Ocean, north to Canada, and south to the Spanish Florida frontier. This helped secure the New Orleans port and use of the Mississippi River. After Spain revoked our right to deposit goods in New Orleans and prohibited our use of the Mississippi River, we were faced with a serious challenge. Western farmers had to store goods on the Mississippi River in New Orleans and ship products. This is what prompted our original offer to France when Spain had control over this region.

The purchase of Louisiana also made it clear to other nations that we would try to find ways to solve our problems peacefully. Instead of battling against Spain, and then France, over using the Mississippi River and New Orleans port, we sought to find a peaceful solution to a problem. It also showed our own people, especially the farmers who lived in the west, that they were also cared for by our government and would work to meet their needs. It helped to keep our country loyal to western peasants.

The purchase of Louisiana also showed us the need for a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Jefferson refused to purchase Louisiana because nothing was said about buying land in the Constitution. He was happily persuaded with France to allow the Louisiana purchase. There are occasions when it is important to adapt the Constitution to changing times. In a purchase agreement, the United States bought Louisiana from France. Buying this large land tract culminated in the fifteen states of America. In multiplying it, the agreement expanded the size of the United States.

Due to trade and the fact that it provided access to New Orleans port and the Mississippi river, the United States had always been involved in Louisiana. The United States had its right to access the Mississippi River suspended at some fleeting point in history. This angered the Americans, and after resolving the issue, President Thomas Jefferson was more determined to purchase the land.

To the embarrassment of the United States, France bought the property from Spain. The United States had to begin military preparations because of the new situation. Issues concerning their extension within the French empire compelled Napoleon to agree to an agreement with the United States to move Louisiana entirely. This averted an inevitable confrontation in effect.