File:Cyclopedia of American government (1914) (14753068266).jpg

Identifier: cyclopediaofam02mcla (find matches)
Title: Cyclopedia of American government
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: McLaughlin, Andrew Cunningham, 1861-1947 Hart, Albert Bushnell, 1854-1943, joint ed
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Publisher: New York and London, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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urchase the island ofNew Orleans and adjacent eastern lands. Earlyin January, 1803, Jefferson sent Monroe tojoin Livingston in negotiations to purchaseNew Orleans and the Floridas, and with in-structions, in case of French obstinacy, to opennegotiations with the British Government toprevent French occupation. Treaty of Cession.—By a treaty of cession(April 30, 1803), which followed the vaguenessof the Ildefonso treaty in the boundary clause,Louisiana as it is in the hands of Spain, andas it was when France possessed it, theUnited States obtained 1,171,931 square milesfor $15,000,000, of which $3,500,000 was paidto satisfy claims of Americans. This acquisi-tion shaped the foundations of a new policy,and opened the road to an American empire. Constitutional Issue.—Doubting his power,under strict constitutional interpretation, toincorporate such a vast territory, Jeffersonproposed a kind of indemnity amendment tolegalize his act and to authorize the admission 376 LOUISIANA ANNEXATION
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Southern Louisiana Boundaet Conteoveesy of states from the territory. Fearing, however,that Napoleons right to dispose of the territorymight be questioned by France as a pretext tobreak the treaty, and. influenced by Spainsformal, protest against the alienation of theterritory, he desired prompt legislation for con-sumating the purchase with as little discussionas possible. Hence he acquiesced in the viewsof Gallatin and other members of his Cabinetthat the American government has power toannex foreign territory without an amendmentto the Constitution. Ratification.—Ratification was prompt—twodays after the Senate received the documentsfrom Jefferson. In the House, during the con-sideration of an appropriation to execute stipu-lations of the treaty, the opponents of the ces- sion began a struggle to hinder action. Theyfirst questioned the title of France to the ter-ritory ceded; but the validity of the treatywas sustained by a vote of 59 to 57. Next, onthe ground that the treaty w

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