Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

Louisiana Purchase: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Date May 2, 1803
Location United States
Participants France • United States

Photos and Videos

Map of the United States highlighting the Louisiana Purchase territory in orange, showing the land acquired from France in 1803. The shaded area spans from the Mississippi River westward, covering parts or all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and portions of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and a small part of Louisiana including New Orleans. Current state and international boundaries are outlined.
Antique 1718 map by Nicolas de Fer showing the Mississippi River and surrounding Louisiana region, with illustrated rivers, lakes, settlements, and decorative cartouches.
Plan of New Orleans
Cession of Louisiana
Hoisting American Colors, Louisiana Cession
Louisiana Purchase
Map of the United States highlighting the Louisiana Purchase territory in tan, spanning the central part of the country from the Gulf of Mexico northward, bordered by British Territory to the northwest, Spanish Territory to the southwest, and Spanish Florida to the southeast. Eastern U.S. states and the Great Lakes are labeled, with a compass rose in the lower left corner.
The impact of the Louisiana Purchase on the U.S.
The presidency of James Monroe and the famous Monroe Doctrine
Learn how the opening of the Louisiana Territory led to mass migrations in the U.S.
westward expansion: the Louisiana Purchase
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Digitally restored vector painting of President Thomas Jefferson, shown from the chest up wearing a dark coat and white cravat, with a neutral background.
Thomas Jefferson
president of United States
James Monroe
James Monroe
president of United States
Pinckney, Charles
Charles Pinckney
American statesman
default image
Robert R. Livingston
United States statesman
default image
François, marquis de Barbé-Marbois
French statesman

Related Quizzes

Gutzon Borglum. Presidents. Sculpture. National park. George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota.
U.S. History Highlights: Part One