answersLogoWhite

0

Mostly he needed the cash as he was in the middle of a World War with the Brits and the rest of Europe at the time. Plus he simply did not have the resources to hold or maintain a huge possession that far away when he had to use all of his money and military power much closer to home. He had enough problems just getting his warships out of port in the face of the British blockade. There was zero chance that he could or would have tried to send them (and the large numbers of ground troops required) to the New World to hold Louisiana in the face of American Expansion on land and the British Navy at sea. He took the money and ran.

The French didn't give up on the New World though. They were still trying to hold Mexico right through the American Civil War.

also more:

The French did not feel all that strongly about Louisiana. Despite the French colonization, it had been the Spanish running the territory for decades. The French got it back primarily to give to the US, and the Spanish gave it up mostly because they were afraid of Napoleon taking over the Spanish mainland instead.

The French didn't really want it. They didn't have the ability to control it; they needed all of their troops in Europe to fight Napoleon's wars. So selling Louisiana to the Americans killed several birds with one stone:

  • It got rid of a territory he didn't have the money to administer
  • It gave him a nice infusion of cash
  • It helped cement the alliance between the US and France
  • It strengthed the US, especially giving them additional ports to control. That gave the US an incentive to strengthen its navy

It wasn't enough. The British navy had stomped the French one definitively a few years later, and Napoleon pretty much fought a land battle after that.

Still, the Battle of Waterloo was awfully close. It didn't help to have the British navy distracted by the War of 1812; those ships would have been better used for logistics from England. If the battle had turned just slightly differently, the sale of Louisiana to the US might be hailed as one of Napoleon's most fore-sighted achievements.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What territory was acquired by the US from Napoleon?

The Louisiana Territory which is most often called the Louisiana Purchase.


Who sold Louisiana to America?

The Louisiana Territory was purchases from Napoleon Bonaparte of France.


What did Napoleon Bonaparte have to do with Louisiana?

He sold the Louisiana Territory to the US for $15 million.


When did Napoleon offer to sell the territory of Louisiana to the US?

In 1803.


What Napoleon sold the US this territory in order to finance his European war?

Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the US to finance his European War.


How much did Napoleon want for the Lousiana Territory?

US paid to Napoleon US $ 11,250,000 plus cancellation of debts worth US $ 3,750,000 for Louisiana Territory.


Did France sell the Louisiana Territory to the US in 1803?

YES. The sale of the Louisiana Territory was concluded between Napoleon and Jefferson.


Did the US fight France for control over the Louisiana Territory?

No , Napoleon Bonaparte gave the United States the Louisiana Territory for 3 cents an acre for various reasons


Who sold the Louisiana Territory To the unites States?

Napoleon sold French Louisiana to the US in 1803 as the Louisiana Purchase.


Who made the treaty with Napoleon to buy the Louisiana Purchase?

US President Thomas Jefferson concluded a treaty with Napoleon to buy the Louisiana Territory.


Who did the US purchase the Louisiana Territory from in 1803?

The French sold their territory 'la Louisiane' (Louisiana) to the US in 1803.


What leader of what country offered to sell the Louisiana territory t the US?

Napoleon Bonaparte