The Louisiana Purchase
In 1699, the French establilshed the colony of Louisiana, stretching ambiguously from the Mississippi River to the Continental Divide. Although the land itself held unknown promise, the jewel of Louisiana was the port city of New Orleans. The country that controlled New Orleans controlled commercial access to the Mississippi River.

Document commemorating the transfer of control of the Louisiana Territory from France to Spain, 1731
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An Oration on the Cession of Louisiana to the United States by David Ramsay, published 1804
An Oration on the Cession of Louisiana to the United States by David Ramsay, published 1804
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The Travels of Captains Lewis and Clark, by Meriwether Lewis, 1809
The Travels of Captains Lewis and Clark, by Meriwether Lewis, 1809
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Document commemorating
the transfer of control of the
Louisiana Territory from France
to Spain, published in 1731
General Map of the United States by Francois Barbe-Marbois, 1829
General Map of the United States
by Francois Barbe-Marbois, 1829
   
History of Louisiana by Francois Barbe-Marbois, published in 1829
History of Louisiana (manuscript version)
by Francois Barbe-Marbois,
published in 1829
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History of Louisiana (printed versin) by Francois
Barbe-Marbois, published in 1829
 
Speeches delivered in the U. S. Senate in 1803 supporting control of trade on the Mississippi.
Speeches delivered in the U. S. Senate in 1803 supporting control of trade on the Mississippi.
Plan of New Orleans published by Philip Pittman, London, 1770
    Plan of New Orleans published by Philip Pittman, London, 1770
Report on issues related to trade on the Mississippi by President John Adams, 1798
Report on issues related to trade on the Mississippi by President John Adams, 1798
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Document relating the return of the Louisiana Territory to the French in 1803.
Document relating the return of the Louisiana Territory
to the French in 1803
Illustration of the transfer of Louisiana, published in the St. Louis Globe Democrat in 1902.
Illustration of the transfer of Louisiana, published in the St. Louis Globe Democrat in 1902.
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