Louisiana Purchase Timeline

Spain prohibited slavery of Native Americans in 1769, though some slaves of mixed African–Native American descent were still being held in St. Louis decades later. This provision from Spanish rule was incorporated into slavery laws passed by the Louisiana territories.

In 1804, Haiti declared its independence; but fearing a slave revolt at home, Jefferson and Congress refused to recognize the new republic, the second in the Western Hemisphere, and imposed a trade embargo against it. This, together with the French demand for an indemnity of 150 million francs in 1825, severely hampered Haiti's economy.

Image source: Haitian Declaration of Independence

Both present-day Arkansas and Missouri already had slaveholders, and the territories passed slavery laws similar to those in southern states but incorporating provisions from preceding French and Spanish rule. Slavery law in the Louisiana Territory contributed to the American Civil War a half century later; the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was a temporary solution.

Image source: Missouri Compromise

Despite Spain's 1769 prohibition of slavery of Native Americans, some slaves of mixed African–Native American descent were still being held in St. Louis into the 19th century. Slavery of Native Americans was finally ended in 1836 by decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Court cases and tribal suits in the 1930s for historical damages flowing from the Louisiana Purchase led to the Indian Claims Commission Act (ICCA) in 1946. Interior Department lawyer Felix Cohen said 'practically all of the real estate acquired by the United States since 1776 was purchased... from its original Indian owners.'

In hopes of securing control of the mouth of the Mississippi, President Jefferson sent Robert Livingston to Paris in 1801 with authorization to purchase New Orleans.

Image source: Robert R. Livingston

In 1803, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, a French nobleman, began to help negotiate with France at the request of Jefferson.

Image source: Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours

Intent on avoiding possible war with France, Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris in 1803 to negotiate a settlement, with instructions to go to London to negotiate an alliance if the talks in Paris failed.

Image source: James Monroe

On March 11, 1803, Napoleon began planning an invasion of Great Britain. By early 1803, he had decided to abandon his plans to rebuild France's New World empire, making a sale of Louisiana more likely.

Image source: Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom

Although foreign minister Talleyrand opposed the plan, on April 10, 1803, Napoleon told Treasury Minister François Barbé-Marbois that he was considering selling the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States.

On April 11, 1803, just days before Monroe's arrival, Barbé-Marbois offered Livingston all of Louisiana for $15 million, averaging less than three cents per acre at the time — about $380 million in 2024 dollars, or 72 cents per acre.

Image source: François Barbé-Marbois

Fearing Napoleon might withdraw the offer at any time, the Americans agreed and signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty on April 30, 1803 (10 Floréal XI in the French Republican calendar) at the Hôtel Tubeuf in Paris, acquiring the vast territory for $15 million.

After Monroe and Livingston returned from France with news of the purchase, an official announcement was made on July 4, 1803, though the documents did not arrive in Washington, D.C. From this day, the United States took their place among the powers of the first rank.

Earlier in 1803, Francis Baring and Company of London had become the U.S. government's financial agent. With continuing war between France and Britain seeming unavoidable, Francis Baring's son Alexander and Pierre Labouchère from Hopes arrived in Paris in April 1803 to assist with the negotiations.

Image source: Barings Bank

Although the first group of U.S. bonds were not issued until January 16, 1804, the banks had already provided a 10 million franc advance to France in July 1803. The exchange rate was set at 5.33333 francs per U.S. dollar.

In October 1803, the U.S. issued government bonds carrying 6% interest, redeemable between 1819 and 1822. The first group of bonds were issued on January 16, 1804. In December 1803, the British directed Barings to halt future payments to France due to the renewed war.

In April 1804, the banks transferred an additional 40.35 million francs to fully discharge their obligations to France, completing the final payments for the purchase.

The last of the bonds used to finance the Louisiana Purchase were paid off by the United States Treasury in 1823, twenty years after the acquisition.

After addressing objections about Spain's promise not to alienate Louisiana — which the French government called baseless since it was not in the treaty of San Ildefonso itself — the Senate on October 21, 1803 authorized Jefferson to take possession of the territory and establish a temporary military government.

France turned over New Orleans, the historic colonial capital, on December 20, 1803, at the Cabildo, with a flag-raising ceremony in the Plaza de Armas, now Jackson Square.

On March 9 and 10, 1804, another ceremony, commemorated as Three Flags Day, was conducted in St. Louis, marking the transfer of Upper Louisiana from Spain through France to the United States.

Image source: Three Flags Day

From March 10 to September 30, 1804, Upper Louisiana was supervised as a military district under its first civil commandant, Amos Stoddard, appointed by the War Department.

Image source: Amos Stoddard

Effective October 1, 1804, the purchased territory was organized into the Territory of Orleans (most of which would become the state of Louisiana) and the District of Louisiana, temporarily under control of the governor and judicial system of the Indiana Territory.

Image source: Territory of Orleans

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804) traveled up the Missouri River to explore the newly acquired lands. It was followed by the Dunbar and Hunter Expedition (1804–1805) exploring the Ouachita River watershed, the Red River Expedition (1806), and the Pike Expedition (1806), which explored the Arkansas River watershed.

Image source: Lewis and Clark Expedition

In 1808, two military forts with trading factories were built: Fort Osage along the Missouri River in western present-day Missouri and Fort Madison along the Upper Mississippi River in eastern present-day Iowa.

Image source: Fort Osage

With tensions increasing with Great Britain, in 1809 Fort Bellefontaine was converted to a U.S. military fort and was used for that purpose until 1826.

Image source: Fort Belle Fontaine

During the War of 1812, aided by their Indian allies, the British defeated U.S. forces in parts of the region, but U.S. ownership of the whole Louisiana Purchase region was confirmed in the Treaty of Ghent, ratified in February 1815.

Image source: Treaty of Ghent

The U.S. built or expanded forts along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, including adding to Fort Bellefontaine, and constructing Fort Armstrong (1816) and Fort Edwards (1816) in Illinois, Fort Crawford (1816) in Wisconsin, Fort Snelling (1819) in Minnesota, and Fort Atkinson (1819) in Nebraska.

Image source: Fort Snelling

The territory north of the 49th parallel (including the Milk River and Poplar River watersheds) was ceded to the UK in exchange for parts of the Red River Basin south of the 49th parallel in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818.

Image source: Treaty of 1818

The western borders of the purchase were settled by the Adams–Onís Treaty with Spain, signed in 1819 and ratified in 1821, with the United States gaining most of what it had claimed in the west. The dispute stemmed from boundaries never defined in the treaties of 1762, 1801, or 1803.

Image source: Adams–Onís Treaty