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SHEG LA Purchase Word

Federalists opposed the Louisiana Purchase for two main reasons: 1. They were concerned it would weaken the central government and country by spreading settlements too thinly across a vast new territory. 2. They worried the treaty would force Congress to admit new slave states from the Louisiana territory, upsetting the balance between slave and free states in the Union. Document A expresses concern that settling "this new purchase" seems unlikely and if citizens did settle it, "it would weaken our country and central government." Document B quotes a Federalist senator worried the treaty would force Congress to admit new states from Louisiana as slave states, "won’t we be forced to admit the new states as slave states

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2K views4 pages

SHEG LA Purchase Word

Federalists opposed the Louisiana Purchase for two main reasons: 1. They were concerned it would weaken the central government and country by spreading settlements too thinly across a vast new territory. 2. They worried the treaty would force Congress to admit new slave states from the Louisiana territory, upsetting the balance between slave and free states in the Union. Document A expresses concern that settling "this new purchase" seems unlikely and if citizens did settle it, "it would weaken our country and central government." Document B quotes a Federalist senator worried the treaty would force Congress to admit new states from Louisiana as slave states, "won’t we be forced to admit the new states as slave states

Uploaded by

buddylembeck
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Document A: Alexander Hamilton (Modified)

The purchase of New Orleans is essential to the peace and


prosperity of our Western country, and opens a free and valuable
market to our commercial states.

This purchase will probably make it seem like Mr. Jefferson is


brilliant. Any man, however, who possesses any amount of
intelligence, will easily see that the purchase is the result of lucky
coincidences and unexpected circumstances and not the result of
any wise or thoughtful actions on the part of Jeffersons
administration.

As to the vast region west of the Mississippi, it is a wilderness with


numerous tribes of Indians. And when we consider the present
territory of the United States, and that not one-sixteenth is yet
under occupation, the
possibility that this new purchase will be a place of actual
settlement seems unlikely.

If our own citizens do eventually settle this new land, it would


weaken our country and central government. On the whole, we
can honestly say that this purchase is at best extremely
problematic.

Source: Alexander Hamilton wrote an editorial called Purchase of


Louisiana for the New York Evening Post, July 1803.
Document B: Letters by Federalists (Modified)

Rufus King to Timothy Pickering, November 4, 1803

According to the Constitution, Congress may admit new states.


But can the President sign treaties forcing Congress to do so?

According to the Louisiana Treaty, the territory must be formed


into states and admitted into the Union. Will Congress be allowed
to set any rules for their admission? Since slavery is legal and
exists in Louisiana, and the treaty states that we must protect the
property of the inhabitants, wont we be forced to admit the new
states as slave states? Doing so will worsen the problem of
unequal representation from slave and free states.

Timothy Pickering to Rufus King. March 4, 1804

I am disgusted with the men who now rule us. The coward at the
head [Jefferson] is like a French revolutionary. While he talks
about humanity, he enjoys the utter destruction of his opponents.
We have too long
witnessed his general wickednesshis cruel removals of faithful
officers and the substitution of corruption and immorality for
honesty.

Source: The two letters above are written between two Federalists. Rufus
King was a Senator from New York and Timothy Pickering was a Senator from
Massachusetts.
Louisiana Purchase Graphic Organizer

Document A Document B

Based on this
document, why did
Federalists oppose
the
Louisiana Purchase?

(List 2 reasons)
Provide evidence
from
the document to
support your
claims.

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