The United States completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, a major expansion in America250’s national story. The agreement transferred approximately 828,000 square miles of territory from France to the United States.
President Thomas Jefferson authorized the purchase, which was negotiated by James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston with France. The United States paid $15 million, including the assumption of certain claims by American citizens against France.
The purchase more than doubled the size of the United States. Its territory stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico toward the Canadian border, although exact boundaries were settled through later agreements.
The acquisition is often linked to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which began in 1804 to explore the new territory and search for a practical route across the continent.