The Louisiana Territory And How It Changed America Forever

The American landscape has always been that of great majestic glory. But this was not always so. The westward expansion was not always in the cards for the Americans. The French had mostly settled 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. With the Louisiana Purchase the U.S acquired most of that land. How did this land help define the United States of America as a Nation? This essay will discuss the actions leading up to the Acquirement of the Louisiana territory and how it changed America forever. In 1762 France ceded French Louisiana west of the Mississippi River to Spain. The French also transferred almost all of its remaining North American holdings to Britain in 1763. Spain was no longer a dominant country and they did little to develop Louisiana during the next three decades in which they held it. Spain in 1796 allied itself with France causing Britain in a bold move to use its navy to cut off the Spanish from reaching America. 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.Show MoreRelatedThe Louisiana Purchase1215 Words   |  5 Pagesfamiliar? If so, it is because nearly everyone in America knows these words like the back of their hand. However, most do not consider their importance. These words are a part of the Pledge of Allegiance. Pay attention to the beginning, â€Å"one nation,† a nation that changed significantly with the Louisiana Purchase. 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