Posted: February 24th, 2022

Importance of Louisiana Purchase to America

Louisiana Purchase was a historical land purchase agreement signed between former America President Thomas Jefferson and French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte, which transferred the French territory of Louisiane to the American republic. France wanted the presence of a growing power- America, to give stiff resistance to the British, while America wanted to get rid of Spanish and French control in its trade route along the Mississippi river. It was evident that the Louisiana Purchase would have a strong social, economic and political importance to the American republic and its future.
Discussion
Louisiana Purchase of 1803 transferred the land from erstwhile French possession to the contemporary American federation, and this piece of land now comprises fifteen American states, namely, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana (“The Louisiana Purchase, 1803”). When these fifteen states were incorporated into the American union, the new amalgamation was, predominantly, a white majority union with white landowners, who used slaves for performing various occupations.

In the early years of its formation, voting was reserved only for those who paid taxes, and only those while males having ownership of property could hold public offices (“The Louisiana Purchase, 1803”). With a large influx of immigrants to this region of maritime importance, a multicultural society was soon flourishing as different ethnic groups started settling there. Since the newly formed states from Louisiana Purchase were bordered along the Mississippi river, America got a free access to trade both within the country and to the continental Europe.
This major political development boosted the economy of the American region. Moreover, the vast stretch of fertile land in the prairie states of North Dakota, South Dakota as well as Kansas, facilitated the growth of revenue from agriculture. Also, the inclusion of the state of Texas gave America a rich source of oilfields. In 1920, one of the Texan oilfields produced 50 million barrels (“Oilfields in Texas”). With a history of territorial wars, slavery, and gradual evolution of democracy, this amalgamation of fifteen states has given famous Presidents to the American republic.
Some of the former American Presidents, namely, Bill Clinton, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, and George Bush were born on the erstwhile land, which was acquired under the Louisiana Purchase agreement. Conclusion With the acquisition of land under the Louisiana Purchase accord, the American republic witnessed social, economic and political changes that impacted its development significantly.