Today's installment concludes The Louisiana Purchase,our selection from The Life of Thomas Jefferson by Henry S. Randall published in 1858. For

And let us not withhold from the Consul of France the credit which is due him for approaching and approving the proceedings of such a

And let us not withhold from the Consul of France the credit which is due him for approaching and approving the proceedings of such a

But the question was, in commercial phrase, would the contest “pay”? Was it worth while to wage a war with so distant a power while the marine of

By the secrecy and duplicity practiced relative to this object, it is clear to me that they apprehend some opposition on the part of America to their

. . . you may be able to impress on the Government of France the inevitable consequences of their taking possession of Louisiana. . . .Continuing