The Louisiana Purchase and American Expansion, 1803-1898

As the nation continued to expand westward and into the Pacific and Caribbean, critical social, political, and constitutional questions would arise that would greatly test American resolve and the principles on which it was based.

The 1803 purchase of the Louisiana Territory was a watershed event for the fledgling United States. Adding some 829,000 square miles of territory, the Louisiana Purchase set a striking precedent of Presidential power and brought to the surface profound legal and constitutional questions. 

The Louisiana Purchase and American Expansion, 1803–1898 provides a fascinating overview of how the U.S. Constitution and the American political system is inextricably tied to the Louisiana Purchase and the territorial expansion of the United States.