This three-language broadside was written in December of 1803 to announce the United States' purchase of the Louisiana Territory. It is a supporting textual document for Our Documents #18 "Louisiana Purchase Treaty," 1803.
Immediately following Senate ratification of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in October 1803, President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress to pass the necessary
laws to carry out the provisions of the treaty. Within weeks, both the Senate
and the House had passed bills authorizing the creation of stock for the purchase
and authorizing the President to take possession and govern Louisiana.
The broadside featured here resides in the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
It was created in December of 1803 by the Government for the purpose of clarifying
for the people of New Orleans their citizenship status. That it was written
in French, Spanish, and English reveals much about the territory’s population
and its past.
Teaching Suggestion:
Review with students the various elements of the Louisiana Purchase. (See Our Documents #17, Jefferson's Secret Message to Congress Regarding Exploration
of the West, 1803, and #18, Louisiana Purchase Treaty.) Ask students to pretend
to be a government official in the Jefferson administration that was responsible
for informing the citizens of the Louisiana Territory about the change in ownership.
Encourage student pairs to develop a plan of action. After students have developed
their plans, share the broadside with them Ask them to compare the methods used
in the broadside with their proposed methods in a class discussion or in an
individually assigned single-page comparison paper.
