Illustration
This map illustrates the geo-political situation in North America after The Louisiana Purchase - the 1803 acquisition by the United States of 828,000 square miles (2,144,000 square km) of French territory west of the Mississippi River. By doubling the size of the United States, The Louisiana Purchase set the stage for aggressive westward expansion and transformed the nation’s economic and political landscape. It allowed the U.S. to control the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, crucial for trade and agriculture. The acquisition also spurred the notion of Manifest Destiny, the belief that Americans were destined to settle across the continent, which justified expansion and conflict with Indigenous nations.
The Purchase pressured Spain’s hold on its North American territories and intensified rivalry with Britain over the Oregon Country. Additionally, the vast new lands escalated the contentious debate over slavery as new states and territories were formed, eventually deepening the sectional divide that culminated in the Civil War.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2024, October 30). North America after the Louisiana Purchase, c. 1804. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19608/north-america-after-the-louisiana-purchase-c-1804/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "North America after the Louisiana Purchase, c. 1804." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 30, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19608/north-america-after-the-louisiana-purchase-c-1804/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "North America after the Louisiana Purchase, c. 1804." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 30 Oct 2024. Web. 30 Oct 2024.
