Why was the Louisiana Purchase made?

The Louisiana Purchase was made on France's part because the country needed the money; the United States wanted the territory owned by France because it was a vast area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains that could be obtained for only a few cents an acre. This purchase also included the important port of New Orleans.

In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson was offered the opportunity to double the size of the United States...

The Louisiana Purchase was made on France's part because the country needed the money; the United States wanted the territory owned by France because it was a vast area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains that could be obtained for only a few cents an acre. This purchase also included the important port of New Orleans.

In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson was offered the opportunity to double the size of the United States with one stroke of a pen. Because of the tremendous costs of the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), France was in need of money. So, it offered one of its North American territories to the United States. When Jefferson learned that he could acquire approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million, he eagerly agreed, then asked Congress for approval. Congress gave its approval and the United States redrew its borders.

President Jefferson was eager to gain this property for the United States because the country was expanding westward, and navigation of the Mississippi River and having access to the port of New Orleans was crucial to American commerce.