The Louisiana Purchase cost the United States $15 million in 1803.
The agreement transferred a vast territory from France to the United States. It was formally signed on April 30, 1803, and publicly announced on July 4. The purchase covered land west of the Mississippi River and greatly expanded the young nation.
The deal was negotiated during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe represented the United States, while France’s government was led by Napoleon Bonaparte. The United States had initially sought New Orleans and nearby territory, but France offered the entire Louisiana Territory.
The price is often confused with other major land deals. The Alaska Purchase from Russia cost $7.2 million in 1867, while the Louisiana figure was $15 million. The purchase’s size and consequences made it one of the defining expansion events in the history highlighted by America250.