1)*New Orleans was the port city that was located at the Southern Tip of theĀ Louisiana Territory and controlled the Mississippi River
2)With a purchase price of justĀ $15 millionĀ (orĀ about $233 millionĀ inĀ 2011 dollars), the U.S. added some 13 states worth of territories at less thanĀ three centsĀ per acre (or less thanĀ 42 cents per acreĀ in today's dollars). Interestingly, the Louisiana Purchase almost didn't happen for a couple reasons.
3)
TheĀ Louisiana PurchaseĀ isĀ importantĀ because it gave the U.S. control of the Mississippi River and the port city of New Orleans, both of which were used by farmers to ship their crops and get paid.
4)TheĀ Louisiana PurchaseĀ was a defining moment for Thomas Jefferson and the United States. There was a real chance that the Louisiana Territory would result in a war with France, which was a war that the United States were not ready to fight. It was almost the kiss of death to the Democratic-Republican party which was emerging as the political force in the United States. However, the Federalists were making strong arguments against what Jefferson and his Republicans were doing and with war looming it looked as if the Democratic-Republican party may rupture. However, it became one of the great triumphs in American history. It more than doubled the size of the country and there was not a shot fired. It raised the popularity of Jefferson and would begin the Virginia dynasty.
5)TheĀ purchase notĀ only provided an outlet for the farm products of the west, enabling theĀ agricultural goodsĀ to be shipped to other areas of the ... Raw materials wereĀ foundĀ in abundance, as well as future settlements that would grow territory and it allowed for Americans to discover new space andĀ resourcesĀ in the west.
6)FULL ANSWERThe Louisiana purchase encompassed about 828 million square miles of territory from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Although much of it was unexplored, it enabled the rapidly growing population of the United States to expand westward. Shortly after the agreement for the Louisiana purchase was signed, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to explore the new territory. Their discoveries of new flora, fauna, landscapes and natural resources enabled the U.S. government to grasp the value of what they had acquired. The Louisiana purchase also led to the eventual acquisition of the Oregon Territory, which allowed the United States to expand to the Pacific Ocean.Although the acquisition of the Louisiana territory at the price of 3 cents an acre is considered one of the high points of Thomas Jefferson's presidency, at the time it was extremely controversial. Many politicians considered it illegal, because the U.S, Constitution made no provision for the acquisition of territory. Arguments erupted about the citizenship of the people already living in the area. However, Jefferson went ahead because he felt that the benefits outweighed any possible disadvantages.
