What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Why This Matters

This question asks what territory the United States bought from France in 1803. The answer is the Louisiana Territory, or simply Louisiana. This was one of the biggest land deals in history and it dramatically changed the size and future of the United States.

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for about fifteen million dollars. This may sound like a small amount, but at the time it was a huge sum of money. The deal covered approximately 828,000 square miles of land, stretching from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north. This single purchase doubled the size of the United States.

The land included all or part of what are now fifteen states, including Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and others. Before the purchase, France controlled this territory under Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon needed money to fund his wars in Europe, so he agreed to sell the land to the United States. Jefferson sent the explorers Lewis and Clark to map and study the new territory. The Louisiana Purchase is important because it opened the way for America to expand westward and eventually become a nation that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Key Facts

• The United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803
• President Thomas Jefferson made the purchase for about fifteen million dollars
• The purchase doubled the size of the United States
• The territory stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains
• Lewis and Clark were sent to explore the new territory

Common Mistakes

• Saying "Alaska", Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, not from France
• Saying "Texas", Texas was annexed in 1845 and was not bought from France
• Confusing the year, the purchase was in 1803, not 1813 or 1830

Study Tip

Connect three facts: Jefferson, France, 1803. President Jefferson bought Louisiana from France in 1803. If you can link these three pieces together, you will answer this question correctly. Think: "Jefferson bought Louisiana from France."