Why Did the French Sell?

To understand why France was willing to sell at such a bargain basement price, we have to understand what was happening across the Atlantic. Europe originally fought with each other over who would take America into its empire. But as the United States established its independence, the French, British, Dutch and Spanish were forced to decide how cost-effective it would be to send their armies across an ocean to fight for some vast wilderness when they were still fighting each other back home in Europe.

Bonaparte
Joseph Chabord/The Bridgeman Art Library/Getty Images
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was gearing up for war with England, so he was eager to sell the Louisiana territory to fund his war.

In 1800, the Spanish and French signed a secret pact, the Treaty of Ildefonso, under which the Spanish returned Louisiana to France (Spain got a kingdom out of it, and they still governed the Louisiana territory). France, ruled by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, wanted Louisiana for its strategic importance in his plan to make Saint Domingue in Haiti a profitable colony. But when France couldn't hold on to Saint Domingue, Napoleon decided that possessing Louisiana wasn't worth the money or the trouble, especially since he was gearing up for a war with England.

The United States already had a treaty with Spain for use of the port of New Orleans, the Treaty of San Lorenzo (1795), but it really didn't matter if it was France or Spain -- neither was pleased that the United States would profit off of its port. But Napoleon figured if he could get a quick influx of money from a deal with the United States, he could curry some favor with his own people as he geared up for a war with England. The $15 million deal was broken down as such:

  • The French received $2 million cash up front.
  • France received 60 million francs ($11.25 million) over the 20-year loan.
  • The French debt of 20 million francs ($3.75 million) to the United States was forgiven.

But the French weren't simply selling their land -- they were including all of the people who lived on that land. In the next section, find out how these "new" Americans were treated by the U.S. government.