The history of the Louisiana purchase . wasexpecting, were a decisive factor in our war. * Vol. ii, p. 499. 1 History of The Louisiana Purchase That point we are not concerned to argue;but as regards the second point of M. Thiers—that the vast dimensions of our nation are due to an influencefrom Europe, Americaitself having had lessto do with the matter^ than has been claimed w>^^^^k, —it is the purpose of Jm^^^^^ ll^lg book to show that the facts of history bearthe French writer the United Statesin 1803 became im-^^^^^^[j^!^^^^^^ luensely extended in^ ^-^^ ^ terr
The history of the Louisiana purchase . wasexpecting, were a decisive factor in our war. * Vol. ii, p. 499. 1 History of The Louisiana Purchase That point we are not concerned to argue;but as regards the second point of M. Thiers—that the vast dimensions of our nation are due to an influencefrom Europe, Americaitself having had lessto do with the matter^ than has been claimed w>^^^^k, —it is the purpose of Jm^^^^^ ll^lg book to show that the facts of history bearthe French writer the United Statesin 1803 became im-^^^^^^[j^!^^^^^^ luensely extended in^ ^-^^ ^ territory; that at the same time our interpre-tation of the Constitution became enlarged, sothat henceforth ^ the spirit and not the letterAvas appealed to, making further develop-ment possible—a change in the Americanpoint of view which has affected us pro-foundly ^ — all this came about becauseFrance and England at this moment were ina crisis of their immemorial quarrel, and Na- * Sloan, Life of Napoleon, vol. iv, pp. 247, 248. 2. How Louisiana Came to Be poleon saw a way out of liis difficulty byhelping the United States to broad dominion. Taking up the story of Louisiana, then,from the French side, as it is certainly properto do since it came to us through Frenchstatesmanship with little agency of our own,the remark of M. Leroy-Beaulieu will openthe consideration w^ell: * Colonization is forFrance a question of life or death. Francewill either become a great African power, orin a century or two it will be nothing but asecondary European power. It will count inthe world about as Greece or Roumania countin Europe. To-day, thinks this leader, it is vital tothe position of France that she should be acolonizing power, Africa being the sphere atthe present moment open. Four hundredyears ago the same thought seems to haveruled, America being in that day the field;for France became active among the earliest,after the discoveries of Columbus and the * La colonisation est pour la
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