For roughly 4 cents an acre, the fledgling United States doubled in size with the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, signed 210 years ago with France on April 30, 1803.
Acting on orders from President Thomas Jefferson (who had put his doubts as to the constitutionality of the expansion aside) American agents James Monroe and Robert Livingston had planned only to negotiate for the purchase of New Orleans and Florida from France. Instead they were offered the entire territory for the equivalent of 15 million dollars, an offer they hastily accepted.
On December 20, 1803, William C.C. Claiborne, Governor of the Mississippi Territory and one of the commissioners appointed to take possession of Louisiana from France, participated in the ceremonial exchange of the territory to the United States. Gov. Claiborne wrote to Secretary of State James Madison to announce the official transfer and notify Sec. Madison that a U.S. flag was raised over the city.
Letter to James Madison, Secretary of State, Announcing the Surrender of Louisiana to the United States by France, 12/20/1803, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives (ARC 306704)
See also last year’s post, the Proclamation to the People of New Orleans, written in three languages.
This week marks the bicentennial celebration of the statehood of Louisiana. Among the historical records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate at the Center for Legislative Archives are many documents that illustrate the important role Congress plays in the creation of states. For Louisiana the road to statehood was relatively short; it became a state less than 10 years after being acquired from the French Government under provisions of the Louisiana Purchase. Visit our featured documents page for selection of congressional records that document Louisiana’s journey to become the 18th state in the Union.
Proclamation of Governor William Claiborne, 12/20/1803, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives
President Jefferson’s nomination of William Claiborne, 11/30/1804, Records of the U.S. Senate
The Constitution of the State of Louisiana, 1/22/1812, Records of the U.S. Senate
HR 88, 3/20/1812, Records of the U.S. Senate
Louisiana Purchase Treaty
In this transaction with France, signed on April 30, 1803, the United States purchased 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. For roughly 4 cents an acre, the United States doubled its size, expanding the nation westward.
President Thomas Jefferson’s message to Congress communicating the discoveries of the explorers Lewis and Clark, 02/19/1806
Three years earlier President Jefferson had approached Congress via secret message to request funding for the expedition.
Dated February 13, 1804, this acknowledges the receipt of $7,500,000 in stock certificates by James Leonard to be used towards the purchase of Louisiana.
Read more at Prologue…
Read in the Senate on January 2, 1810, this petition from frontiersman Daniel Boone requests Congress’s help in reclaiming the title to his land in what is now St. Charles County, Missouri. Boone acquired land in Louisiana when it was under Spanish rule, but his title was deemed invalid after the territory came into possession of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase. Boone’s request would not be granted until February 10, 1814, when Congress passed an “Act for the Relief of Daniel Boone,” which confirmed his title to the land.
Read more at the Center for Legislative Archives…
Petition of Daniel Boone praying for a grant of land within the territory of Louisiana, read January 2, 1810 (page 1); Records of the United States Senate.; Record Group 46; National Archives.
Yesterday’s “Proclamation: To the People of New Orleans” doesn’t look so bad for being over 200 years old — why?
Look at this beautiful document. It looks pretty good to be 208 years old, right? That’s because the paper is high quality, probably hand-made paper. It is most likely made out of rags rather than wood pulp. The papermaker would have pounded the rags rather than chopping them to bits as a machine would do. This creates long fibers of high quality cellulose (what we call “alpha cellulose”). These long, high quality paper fibers are less susceptible to deterioration over time. That is why a document from the 18th century might look better than one from the Civil War.
On December 20, 1803, William C.C. Claiborne, Governor of the Mississippi Territory and one of the commissioners appointed to take possession of Louisiana from France, participated in the ceremonial exchange of the territory from Spain to France to the United States. Claiborne issued this proclamation in three languages (English, French, and Spanish) to inform the residents of the territory that they would soon become citizens of the United States, and that in the mean time they could enjoy the freedoms and liberty under the protection of the U.S. Constitution.
Proclamation of William C.C. Claiborne, 12/20/1803, HR 8A-D1, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives (ARC 593571)
December 20, 1803 - Following Senate ratification of the Louisiana Purchase in October, 1803, this three-language broadside was written to announce the United States’ purchase of the Louisiana Territory and to clarify for the people of New Orleans their citizenship status.
October 20, 1803 - When Thomas Jefferson’s envoys agreed to purchase Louisiana Territory from France on April 30, 1803, they did so without his direct approval. While Jefferson debated the constitutionality of the acquisition, French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte become impatient and threatened to void the treaty. Jefferson was forced to push for ratification, and received the consent of the Senate on October 20 by a vote of twenty-four to seven. The next day in Washington, the Americans and the French envoy exchanged ratified copies of the treaty.
Senate resolution of advice and consent to Louisiana Purchase Treaty, 10/20/1803; General Records of the U.S. Government
Zebulon Pike’s Notebook of Maps, Traverse Tables, and Meteorological Observations; Records of the Adjutant General’s Office.
On July 15, 1806, Zebulon Pike began his expedition to expore the southwest region of the Louisiana Purchase. Shown here is a map from one of his notebooks.
Louisiana Purchase Treaty, April 30, 1803
In this transaction with France, signed on April 30, 1803, the United States purchased 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. For roughly 4 cents an acre, the United States doubled its size, expanding the nation westward.
