Jefferson, Thomas | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Jefferson, Thomas

Excerpt from "To the U.S. Minister to France"

Written on April 18, 1802
Published in The Works of Thomas Jefferson, edited by
Paul Leicester Ford, 1905

When Spain ceded Louisiana to France in October 1800, the deal created a dangerous situation for the United States. With the Spanish controlling Louisiana, the United States had felt safe, because Spain had grown militarily weak and was unlikely to pose any threat. Since signing the Treaty of San Lorenzo in 1795 (and ratifying it in 1796), Spain had stopped charging fees to U.S. boats navigating the Mississippi River and loading and unloading at New Orleans. The.....

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