- The Louisiana Purchase was acquired by the United States in 1803 from France for $15 million.
- This land, approximately 828,000 square miles, stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.
- President Thomas Jefferson led the acquisition, which doubled the size of the United States overnight.
- The purchase included the Port of New Orleans, a key location for trade, which France initially agreed to sell for $10 million; the rest of the territory was added for an additional $5 million.
- In today’s dollars, the $15 million paid in 1803 is equivalent to about $284 million.
- The economic value generated by Louisiana ports (including New Orleans) in 2010 alone was $100 billion, highlighting the immense long-term value of the purchase.
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