Today In History: Louisiana Purchase Completed
December 20th:
Louisiana Purchase MapToday in 1803 the United States of America nearly doubled in size with the completion of the Louisiana Purchase. France was burdened by the expense of the Napoleonic Wars and facing rebellion in many of their colonies so they decided that ending their North American ambitions was worth the millions they would gain. The American negotiators were amazed at the offer, they had been only seeking New Orleans initially and had been willing to pay nearly the price of the whole deal for that city alone. 