The first impact is that it doubled the size of the country. Our borders went from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, north to Canada, and south to the boundary with Spanish Florida. It helped to secure the port of New Orleans and the use of the Mississippi river for us. When Spain cut off our right to deposit goods at New Orleans and limited our use of the Mississippi River, this presented a serious challenge for us. Western farmers needed to store goods at New Orleans and ship products on the Mississippi River. It is what prompted our original offer to France, once France got control of this region from Spain.
The Louisiana Purchase also made it clear to other countries that we would try to find ways to peacefully solve our problems. Instead of fighting Spain, and then France, over the use of the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, we tried to find a peaceful solution to resolve an issue. It also showed our own people, especially the farmers who lived in the west, that our government did care about them also and would work to meet their needs. This helped western farmers remain loyal to our country.
The first impact is that it doubled the size of the country. Our borders went from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, north to Canada, and south to the boundary with Spanish Florida. It helped to secure the port of New Orleans and the use of the Mississippi river for us. When Spain cut off our right to deposit goods at New Orleans and limited our use of the Mississippi River, this presented a serious challenge for us. Western farmers needed to store goods at New Orleans and ship products on the Mississippi River. It is what prompted our original offer to France, once France got control of this region from Spain.
The Louisiana Purchase also made it clear to other countries that we would try to find ways to peacefully solve our problems. Instead of fighting Spain, and then France, over the use of the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, we tried to find a peaceful solution to resolve an issue. It also showed our own people, especially the farmers who lived in the west, that our government did care about them also and would work to meet their needs. This helped western farmers remain loyal to our country.
