American Agriculture History Minute: Louisiana Territory Purchased

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.

The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803 from the French for $15 million, or And the United States would immediately add over 530 million acres in middle America. But a little-known fact, France only controlled a small fraction of this large area. Most was inhabited by Native Americans, so effectively, the majority of the area that the United States bought then, they have the preemptive right to obtain Indian lands by treaty or conquest at a later date.

That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute.

I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.