No Louisiana Purchase

Jefferson believed in a strict Constitution which is why he was hesitant about buying New Orleans. However he went through and made the offer, but when Napoleon counteroffered selling the entire Louisiana Territory Jefferson was unsure of himself. Jefferson didn't believe that buying vast tracts of law was part of the Constitution, so he wasn't sure about the deal. However in the end his desire for a nation of farmers convinced him to take the deal.

So what if Jefferson refuses and only buys New Orleans?
 
Actually, from what I remember, Jefferson was quite interested on the whole deal because it removed a possible french pressure, that harmed his own diplomatical and political stance, critically when Jefferson was seen as the man from the french party in Washington.

If something, federalists as Hamilton were more opposed to the purchase than Jefferson.

I would point furthermore, that I've an hard time believing he wasn't partially aware of the scale of the purchase. It was the idea of du Pont de Nemours to sell the entiere territory, and this guy was relativly close to Jefferson.
 
I've read correspondence between Jefferson and others in which he expressed hesitation at buying the Louisiana Territory. In the end of course he decided to take the deal because he wanted a nation of small farmers.
 
Eventually, like Texas, it gets absorbed into the US. Being that Britain and France were colonial competitors, Canada would never absorb Lousiana. Mexico would have lost Texas ATL so it seems to me Lousiana would go the same way eventually. Perhaps, it would just be purchased at a higher price or it would be part of a war that breaks out after the Civil War during the Franco Prussian War.

Speaking of the Civil War, I wonder if this ultimately delays the war as SOuthern States would have expanded as OTL besides Arkansas and possibly Lousiana (though a much smaller version may exist with the purchase of New Orleans.) The Union would lose Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Oregon, and Kansas as votes in the Senate. California would be a state, however presuming the Mexican American war still happens.

This means slavery probably ends in the late 1870s or early 1880s, where a law essentially buys all the slaves at market price and frees them...ironically, this is probably cheaper than a war and a lot less deadly. It also improves the SOuth's economy long term and perhaps prevents sharecropping.

Lousiana as a territory, without New Orleans though is completely useless. How would the French defend it? Establish ports on the Pacific? Get real!

France likely selols the Lousiana Purchase a decade later. Maybe for another 15 million. It is just more fun to think about it hanging on later as a French territory longer.
 
Top