A Republic, Not an Empire: Reclaiming America's Destiny

by Patrick J. Buchanan

But when Monroe arrived, he found a sensational development. Talleyrand had offered to sell not only New Orleans but all Louisiana for $25 million. What had changed? Napoleon’s dream of a New World empire had been drenched in blood when a French army of 50,000, sent to subdue Santo Domingo, had succumbed to yellow fever and massacre by the rebels of Toussaint L’Ouverture. Louisiana no longer appeared to Paris as a granary to sustain an American empire; rather, it seemed an issue that might force the United States into alliance with Britain, and an unprotected province likely to be ripped away in the event of a war, which was exactly what Napoleon was planning. Setting aside personal jealousies, Monroe and Livingston negotiated the purchase for $15 million. “We have lived long,” said Livingston, “but this is the noblest work of our whole lives.”9 The pair had acted just in time. The formal agreements were dated April 30, 1803. Two weeks later, Britain and France were at war, and America learned that British war plans had included the immediate capture of New Orleans. Jefferson embraced the purchase. While Bonaparte had no right to transfer Louisiana, which he had pledged “not to sell or alienate,” and Jefferson had no authority to buy it, that seemed not to matter to either of them. America was taking possession of stolen goods being fenced by the greatest thief in Europe, but there was no denying the bargain. “This accession of territory affirms forever the power of the Un...