President Jefferson's Historic Real Estate Deal with Napoleon Bonaparte

In 1803, the United States made a landmark deal that would forever change the course of its history. When President Thomas Jefferson closed on this $15 million real estate deal with French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, his stock began to rise. The Louisiana Purchase has been described as the greatest real estate deal in history. In 1803 the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory, doubling the size of the nation in one fell swoop.

On April 30, 1803, representatives of the United States and Napoleonic France conclude negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, solidifying the agreement that would shape the future of the United States. In 1803, the United States nearly doubled in size when it bought the Louisiana Territory in a deal that shaped history.

The Louisiana Purchase was not without controversy, as many questioned the constitutionality of such an acquisition. However, President Jefferson saw the potential for growth and expansion that the Louisiana Territory offered. On the bicentennial of the most famous battle in world history, a distinguished historian looks at what could have been if the Louisiana Purchase had not taken place.

Greenland officials have rebuffed President Trump's plan to buy the island, but the United States has a history of purchasing lands from other nations. How Europeans let most of America slip out of their hands is a fascinating historical story. Early in April 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte was in Paris at the Tuileries, finalizing the negotiations that would lead to the Louisiana Purchase.

Everybody who has taken grade-school history knows the story. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France, a move that would set the stage for westward expansion and the growth of the United States as a global power.