Louisana Purchase
April 30th is the 214th anniversary of a momentous occasion in US history- the Louisiana purchase. One of the biggest land transactions in history, France sold the massive Lousiana territory of 529,280,000 acres to the US. It was purchased for $15 million, so about 4¢ an acre ($309 million → 58¢ an acre adjusted for inflation.)
This was a very good deal for the US and a very bad deal for France. The territory encompassed many rich natural resources, like ores for precious metals and fertile farmland. However, the effects of the purchase were not just economic. It nearly doubled the size of the United States. The vast new amount of land was the impetus for several important expeditions, like Lewis and Clark’s famous journey. It was also significant from a political standpoint. With the signing of the treaty that conferred the rights to the land over to the US, the French essentially ceded their control over North America, abandoning their only colonial stake in the new land.
However, there is a darker side to this story. In reality, the land of the Louisiana Territory was not France’s to give nor America’s to take. It belonged to the Native Americans who originally lived on there. Many consider the history of this country to be a proud one that highlights the merits of individuality and freedom. They often forget that their liberty was founded and built at the expense of another people’s.
Kavya Seth