The Louisiana Purchase Treaty
Paris – April 30, 1803

With no idea of the extent of their acquisitions—one of the greatest bargains in history—Robert Livingston and James Monroe signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris.  The $ 15 million price tag was well worth it.  Congress had authorized them to pay France up to $10 million for the port of New Orleans and the Floridas.  Planning further warfare in Europe, Napoleon needed cash and so offered to sell the entire Louisiana territory'—an area larger than Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal combined—and the American negotiators swiftly agreed.  Under the terms of this treaty, concluded on April 30, 1803, the United States purchased 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for roughly four cents an acre.  The United States doubled its size, reaching westward toward the Pacific Ocean.

President Thomas Jefferson was somewhat unsure he had the authority to add such a vast new territory to the existing republic, but his momentous decision would further his vision of an "empire for liberty" that would stretch from coast to coast.

 TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF  AMERICA AND THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

The President of the United States of America and the  First Consul of the French Republic in the name of the  French People desiring to remove all Source of misunderstanding relative to objects of discussion mentioned  in the Second and fifth articles of the Convention of  the 8th Vendé miaire an 9/30 September 1800 relative  to the rights claimed by the United States in virtue of  the Treaty concluded at Madrid the 27 of October 1795, between His Catholic Majesty & the Said United States, & willing to Strengthen the union and friendship which at the time of the Said Convention was happily reestablished between the two nations have respectively named their Plenipotentiaries to wit The  President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the Said States; Robert R. Livingston Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States and James Monroe Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy extraordinary of the Said States near the Government of the French Republic; And the First Consul in the name of the French people, Citizen Francis Barbe Marbois Minister of the public treasury who after having respectively exchanged their full powers have agreed to the following Articles.

Article I

Whereas by the Article the third of the Treaty concluded at St Ildefonso the 9th Vende miaire an 9/1 st October 1800 between the First Consul of the French Republic and his Catholic Majesty it was agreed as follows.
"His Catholic Majesty promises and engages on  his part to cede to the French Republic six months after  the full and entire execution of the conditions and Stipulations herein relative to his Royal Highness the  Duke of Parma, the Colony or Province of Louisiana  with the Same extent that it now has in the hand of Spain, & that it had when France possessed it; and Such as it Should be after the Treaties subsequently entered into between Spain and other States."
And whereas in pursuance of the Treaty and particularly of the third article the French Republic has an  incontestible title to the domain and to the possession of the said Territory—The First Consul of the French Republic desiring to give to the United States a strong proof of his friendship doth hereby cede to the United States in the name of the French Republic for ever and in full Sovereignty the said territory with all its rights and appurtenances as fully and in the Same manner as they have been acquired by the French Republic in virtue of the above mentioned Treaty concluded with his Catholic Majesty.

Article II

In the cession made by the preceeding article are included the adjacent Islands belonging to Louisiana all public lots and Squares, vacant lands and all public buildings, fortifications, barracks and other edifices which are not private property. —The Archives, papers & documents relative to the domain and Sovereignty of Louisiana and its dependances will be left in the possession of the Commissaries of the United States, and copies will be afterwards given in due form to the Magistrates and Municipal officers of such of the said papers and documents as may be necessary to them.

Article III

The inhabitants of the ceded territory shall be incorporated in the Union of the United States and admitted as soon as possible according to the principles of the federal Constitution to the enjoyment of all these rights, advantages and immunities of citizens of the United States, and in the mean time they shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property and the Religion which they profess.
...

DONE AT PARIS THE TENTH DAY OF FLOREAL IN THE ELEVENTH YEAR OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC; AND THE 30TH OF APRIL 1803.

Robt R Livingston [SEAL]
Jas. Monroe [SEAL]
Barbe Marbois [SEAL]

In addition to this Treaty of Cession, the Louisiana Purchase Agreement comprises two conventions specifying the financial aspects of the agreement, one calling for the payment of 60 million francs ($11,250,000), the other for claims U.S. citizens had made against France for 20 million francs ($3,750,000).

A CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

Article I

The Government of the United States engages to pay to the French Government in the manner Specified in the following article the sum of Sixty millions of francs independant of the Sum which Shall be fixed by another Convention for the payment of the debts due by France to citizens of the United States.
...

DONE AT PARIS THE TENTH OF FLOREAL ELEVENTH YEAR OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC 30THAPRIL 1803.

Robt R Livingston [SEAL]
Jas. Monroe [SEAL]
Barbe Marbois [SEAL]

The last page of the second convention settles the claims of American citizens against France. It was signed with a flourish by "Bonaparte"—Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France.