There seems to be a lot of confusion about just how many states were carved out of French Louisiana

Factual Questions
1

Hi

There seems to be a lot of confusion about just how many states were carved out of French Louisiana . I’ve read 13 or 15. Most websites say 13. Also, which parts of Canada used to belong to the US that were gained from the Louisiana purchase?
I look forward to your feedback.
davidmich

2

In 1803, France transferred part of what is now Alberta and Saskatchewan to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. However, the HBC still staked claim to most of present day Saskatchewan. In 1870, Canada acquired the HBC’s lands taking control of the vast territory between British Columbia and Manitoba.

3

Wikisays 15 present US states and parts of two Canadian provinces…

4

One area of dispute concerned the area known as West Florida. The United States contended it was part of the Louisiana Territory they had purchased. France contended it was a separate territory and hadn’t been included in the sale. If the American claim was right then the Louisiana purchase includes land that is now part of Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi; if the French claim was right then those states are outside of the Louisiana purchase.

5

Oddly enough, a significant part of the state of Louisiana wasn’t part of the Louisiana Purchase either. There are 8 parishes (counties in other states) now known as the Florida Parishes that were not part of the sale from France because that area had been under British and then Spanish rule for 40 years prior to the Louisiana Purchase. The area has a complicated history and existed as an independent republic for a short time before the U.S. swooped in a annexed it in 1810 before it had a chance to get a good start. It became part of Louisiana when the state was created in 1812.

6

You mean you could force France to take back Florida ?

7

No, the dispute was cleared up.

France realized it wasn’t in a position to assert its claim to West Florida and passed it on to Spain, which controlled neighboring East Florida. This got France out of the dispute and made it a dispute between Spain and the United States. It was resolved when Spain signed a treaty turning over all of its Florida territories (without specifying exactly where the border was) to the United States.

8

IIRC-
The French claimed some areas of the southern prairie provinces of Canada and sold those rights to the USA with the Louisiana Purchase. Britain, meanwhile, claimed anything draining into Hudson’s Bay well into the USA (Fargo belongs to us, dammit!)

When the border actually mattered later (Treaty of 1818?) it was drawn along the 49th parallel as a compromise. This was extended to the Pacific in 1846.

So the OP’s answer depended on who you believe actually “owned” the land, how far the purchase actually extended.


Texas and New Mexico seem to be marginal here.

Edit - oops, seems there was no conflict, the Missouri drainage extends into Alberta.

9

I think the 13 vs. 15 thing is simply that to get 15 states you have to include the tiny corners of Texas and New Mexico that were included. Obviously the whole states of Texas and New Mexico weren’t carved out of Louisiana Territory, just tiny parts of them

10

Is there any validity to the suggestion that Napoleon (other than his need to raise cash) sold the Louisiana Territory to provoke a clash with Spain, hoping thereby the weaken the US. There were certainly fears that the United States would threaten or compete with British and French hegemony in the Atlantic.

11

Napoleon certainly helped create a rival for Britain.

http://napoleononline.ca/2011/01/the-louisiana-purchase/

"Finally, it is important to note that the sale of Louisiana satisfied another goal of Napoleon which was to find ways of weakening Great Britain…he later said of the sale:

“I have just given England a maritime rival which, sooner or later, will humble her pride.”