Topic > The history and impact of the Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was an agreement between America and France that involved the sale of 530 million acres of land for $15 million. America purchased this land from France in 1803 while under the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. While researching, I found two credible resources on the topic. One, an online article titled “Louisiana Purchase, 1803” from a website called “Office of the Historian.” The other was a journal entry I found in the JSTOR database, titled “Party Politics during the Louisiana Purchase.” After reviewing both writings, I have come to the conclusion that there are multiple similarities and differences between the two when it comes to discussing the topic of the Louisiana Purchase. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The online article "Louisiana Purchase, 1803" published on the "Office of the Historian" website, is a short article that gets right to the point where the purchase occurred. First, it briefly describes what the purchase consisted of by stating, “The Louisiana Purchase included 530,000,000 acres of territory in North America that the United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15,000,000.” (Louisiana Purchase, 1803, n.d.). The article then delves into the history of the land before the purchase and why the United States felt the need to make an agreement with France to inhabit that territory. The writing also begins to explain the participants involved in the deal, how it was exchanged and why France decided to accept the purchase. In the online journal entry titled "Party Politics during the Louisiana Purchase" written by Sean M. Theriault, the author begins with the history and details of the purchase, but then proceeds to discuss the agreement from the perspective of the sciences social. First, the author introduces the topic of the Louisiana Purchase by describing the contents of the purchase and what was included. He then continues the article by discussing specific federal government-related incidents that took place during the purchase, immediately after, and even years after the purchase was completed. The author states, “The Louisiana Purchase provides fertile ground for analyzing the transition from colonial government to modern democracy.” (Theriault 294-295). By saying this, the author infers that the Louisiana Purchase was a turning point in the governance of our nation. After carefully examining both sources, I noticed that although the two articles refer to the topic in two very different ways, they share some similarities. Both articles cover the history of the Louisiana Purchase. One discusses how it came to be, while the other discusses what was included in the agreement between the United States and France. In any case, both entries contain, almost entirely, historical facts. Whether it's the purchase, the participants involved, or the post-purchase story. Finally, both articles touch on the topic of the federal government and its role in the Louisiana Purchase. While there are few similarities between the website article and the journal entry, they differ in more ways than one. To begin with, the website article consisted of one page, while the journal entry, being more detailed, runs to 32 pages. In the website article “Louisiana Purchase, 1803” only the topic of how the purchase occurred and how it occurred is described. On the other hand, the journal entry "Party Politics During the Louisiana Purchase" by Sean M. Theriault, discusses the deeper meaning of the purchase with topics such as the federal government, social sciences, and the history of our government after purchase..