Saint Domingue: Negotiation At Oddss Between Spain And France

With all of the social and economic rifts in America, Napoleon saw a perfect opportunity to capture the sugar colony of St. Domingue from their slave rebellion and establish Louisiana as a part of his American empire. After having purchased Louisiana from France in 1800, Napoleon sent his troops to St. Domingue, preparing to acquire New Orleans. New Orleans had been a major trading port for America, dealing with almost half of America’s import and exports, and Thomas Jefferson began to question his trust in France when Napoleon threatened to take it. Jefferson decided to discretely handle the matter by approaching the situation as it came rather than taking a rash action that would surely create dissonance between France and America. Thomas Jefferson knew that the American West would be put into jeopardy if France captured it as they would have the same commercial rights and privileges as they did whilst under the Spanish. Jefferson issued a warning to Napoleon and treated to side with Britain if France captured New Orleans. As Napoleon’s army weakened and his fear of American attack grew, he decided to sell Louisiana to Thomas Jefferson for a mere 15 million dollars. This made Jefferson reevaluate his strict interpretation of the Constitution as he had to create his own rules with the Elastic Clause in order to obtain the land and secure American safety. Napoleon was not American and therefore did not hold an opinion on federalism and different interpretations of the Constitution. However, he had a major impact on the politicians of the Jeffersonian Age and made people reevaluate how they viewed America. The whole transaction also made America a more powerful force who was willing to side with their long-term enemy with due cause. Napoleon challenged Federalists and Democratic-Republicans as they scrambled to save Louisiana from French rule and

Napoleon owned Louisiana and threatened to block American access to if that deal was broken Napoleon would block American access to the port in New Orleans. The importance of this port is crucial to the American providence because any other export method is impractical, costly, and most of all time consuming (this is an age where your mail will take at least 3-4 months). Due to the circumstance of access to international markets, a crucial need for expansion and a general threat to American interests Jefferson considered going to join Britain for an anti-France alliance. But before the threat of war, he sent diplomats to France to bargain for access and relations and diplomats to Britain to pursue more options. Luckily James Monroe and Robert Livingston were there to negotiate with France on the issue of buying New Orleans and West Florida for about two million dollars, but that was rejected and later bargained up for 10 million dollars. Thankfully Napoleon was desperate from overextending his military and offered to sell the entire Louisiana territory for 15 million (a couple cents an acre). This was probably the best

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with France despite personal qualms of its constitutionality. The Louisiana Territory nearly doubled the size of the United States, including the major port city of New Orleans. Despite his personal reading of the Constitution, Jefferson understood that it was more important for the country to act decisively and buy the land than to await an amendment to the Constitution. Jefferson, acting within the right of the president to negotiate treaties, pursued the Louisiana Purchase primarily due to the political threat of the nearby French territory and the economic importance of New Orleans.

The Louisiana Purchase caused a major moral dilemma for President Thomas Jefferson, a dilemma concerning whether he should refuse the biggest deal he had ever faced and follow his beliefs and values of the Constitution or purchase over 800,000 acres of land for $15 million doubling the size of America yet going against his strict principles. Jefferson saw the United States as an agricultural delight where hardworking, worthy landowners and laborers could secure themselves and their future. However when he was faced with the biggest decision and accomplishment of his life, known as the biggest real estate deal in history The Louisiana Purchase violated Jefferson’s strict views and beliefs on the Constitution. In 1801, France and Spain signed

The Louisiana Purchase was one of the most important parts of the United States’ Westward Expansion because it nearly doubled the size of the country. Before the purchase, Napoleon was looking to rebuild an empire in North America but a slave revolt in Saint Domingue led by Toussaint LOuverture in Saint Domingue left Napoleon deciding on whether to suppress the rebellion or establish an empire in the Americas. Napoleon ended up trying to control Saint Domingue because he thought it would be too difficult to control Louisiana with American territory blocking the way, and he rendered it useless and sold it to the United States. With the Louisiana Purchase came some controversy as the Federalists thought it was against the Constitution to acquire any territory, but Jefferson responded by saying he had the power to make treaties, and he believed he did just that. As the United States acquired Louisiana, they had an opportunity to gain more land and got closer to countries like Mexico and increased their border length with Canada.

The Spanish in 1801 signed in secret, a treaty with France to return Louisiana Territory to France. This set off a series of concerns for the Americans. Americans had been moving westward into the Ohio River and Tennessee River valley areas since the 1780’s and the Port of New Orleans was a strategic port of entry as well as the Mississippi River which was needed if the U.S was going to be able to ship good through the Gulf of Mexico.

Joseph Harris of smithsonianmag.com goes on to state that despite his brothers wishes, Napoleon had decided to sell all of Louisiana to the United States as he was in need of money for his war with Britain, as well as the fact Louisiana was not as important to him as Saint Domingue was. After battering about the price, the purchase of Louisiana was agreed to cost $15 million from the United States.

During the year of 1803, America made a decision that would ultimately change the way of life for the United States forever, and this decision is known as the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase consisted of 800,000 square miles being bought by the United States from France for an amount of $15 million. Thomas Jefferson felt that the United States could be in jeopardy in American interests because Spain returned the territory of Louisiana back to France with the Treaty of San Ildefono in 1800. France was expecting to head into war with England and needed the money for war expenses. Part of this vast land purchased would be later known as the state of Arkansas; however, before Arkansas was a state it was part of the District of Louisiana

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson was sent as the Secretary of State to negotiate with the French in regards to the city of New Orleans --it was a prime trading dock since many waterways would intersect at the port. However, when Jefferson met with Napoleon discussing the plans, the French offered him the Louisiana Purchase that spanned west of the Mississippi River for quite a miniscule price. The context behind such a deal is that the French were fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, trying to fight England; the battle was not in favor of the French, and Napoleon feared that war retributions would require the French to give the Louisiana Purchase to England without getting anything in return. The French obviously wanted to gain as much of an edge as possible in the war so they sold the Louisiana Purchase for quick, liquid money that could be devoted towards the war and the French also hoped that they would be able to buy the Louisiana Purchase back from the United States when the French are in a more stable time. Even with such an amazing deal, Jefferson had internal conflictions when purchasing the land. He believed in the policy of strict construction and felt the government was restricted to only the powers explicitly granted by the U.S. Constitution. However, the Constitution does not mention anything about the government being able to purchase land. In the end, Jefferson did buy the land, and it doubled the size of the United States.

Eventually, Spain secretly gives the territories back to France, making Americans worry. Which during the time Napoleon has a grand design, where “Louisiana and the Floridas would provide the necessary economic and strategic support for an overseas empire centered on St. Domingue (Hispaniola), the richest of the French colonies, then in the control of rebel blacks led by Toussaint L'Ouverture” (presidentprofiles). But eventually, a war started in England, where Napoleon will be obligated to sell those territories to United States. Little before that happening Jefferson sent a warning letter to Napoleon, that if they were to instruct Napoleons design plan in New Orleans, it will interrupt trade meaning war must happen. Meanwhile at that time, Madison was working on a project to purchase New Orleans and the Floridas. Soon after, Napoleon decided that the territories Louisiana and Florida had to be sold due to the devastating outcome of the war in England, at a price of 15 million in

Originally, Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor at the time, refused to sell the land to the United States. However, when France ran into some financial issues, he reconsidered so he could get the money. By 1803, Napoleon was ready to sell the territory of Louisiana for $15

On April 30,1803 the Louisiana territory, which was a third of the land for the new nation we call America, was purchased from France for fifteen million dollars. This helped fund Napoleon’s war against Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson made this decision because Jefferson did not want any other nation ruling in that territory, because Jefferson did not want to feel threatened with natives from the new land and France trying to take over America. Another reason for this decision was because Congress pressed Jefferson to see if Jefferson wanted to either expand land or have other nations rule in the new mother land. After the purchase was done Thomas Jefferson had

Treaty of Paris 1783 was signed on 3rd September after Revolutionary War between United States(US) and British.This encouraged the colonists to cross Appalachian and started the expansion.On 1st October 1800, Spain signed a secret treaty with France called Treaty of San Ildefonso. Spain returned the territory of Louisiana to France which France has once ceded it in 1763. Under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, he knew he had the power to control from New Orleans northeast to Great Lakes. He decided to block the port of New Orleans to Americans and also with the declaration from Spanish Juan Ventura Moralas that states Americans were not longer to import their goods through Mississippi River unless Americans pay tax. These made the

In 1800, Jefferson soon learned that France signed a secret treaty with Spain, which returned Louisiana back to France. In October 1802, Spanish had yet to turn over Louisiana to France, which pressured Jefferson even more. Jefferson urged for the purchase of New Orleans and Florida, or a tract of land near the mouth of Mississippi, where he could construct a new port. With no luck, Jefferson appointed his friend, James Monroe, to offer France $10 million for both New Orleans and Florida. But before Monroe could even reach France, General Leclerc’s Saint Domingue expedition ended with the outbreak of yellow fever.

After Jefferson bought Louisiana from Napoleon for fifteen million dollars, the United States was in the position of domination. The United States was slowly beginning to not only grow geographically but politically as well. However, there is an important question to be asked, Why would Napoleon give up so much for so little? As the Documentary, How the States Got Their Shapes “The answer: Haiti. When the slaves in Haiti overthrew France that, basically, took France out of the game in North America. Haiti is the crown jewel of the French Empire. It 's where all the sugar comes from. It 's where all the money comes from. The only reason you need New Orleans and all that land to the west is to provide food for Haiti.” Therefore, since Haiti no longer belonged to France, France was out of the competition. It is important to pinpoint that before the United States (the 50 states) America shared land with the Spaniard, English, and Native Americans. Thus, the Haitian Revolution gave the United States more land, and power to conquer land. Through the Haitian revolution United States was closer to be “destined to secure territory from "sea to sea," from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean” as the political cartoon American Progress, from John Gust illustrates.