than two million square kilometer Territory cost the United States 80 million francs, equal to roughly 15 million dollars,
or about four cents an acre. The purchase doubled the size of the infant Republic, incorporating present-day Arkansas;
Missouri; Iowa; Minnesota; North Dakota; South Dakota; Nebraska; Oklahoma; Minnesota west of the Mississippi; most of Kansas; portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado; and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River. In one
savvy real estate deal, the United States went from a minuscule nation to a world power.
The man that history credits with this deal is Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States. Jefferson is
traditionally portrayed as the inventor and orchestrator of the Louisiana Purchase, a copy of which is pictured at right (3). In the eyes of many historians, Jefferson's skill as a diplomat, and his skill alone, allowed for the acquisition of this vast territory.
However, a more in depth examination of the diplomatic history of the Louisiana Purchase reveals that, while
Jefferson's diplomatic skills were an asset in the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, they were by no means the sole
reason for the purchase. Jefferson was able to recognize a good deal when he saw it, but he in actuality had little to do
with bringing about the events which made the purchase possible. The United States’ purchase of the Louisiana
Territory was more a result of diplomatic and political factors, not of Jefferson's skill as a diplomat.