Louisiana Purchase Price: What Jefferson Paid for New Orleans and Beyond

The Louisiana Purchase: $15 Million for a Continent

President Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris in 1803 to negotiate the purchase of New Orleans. Instead, the U.S. acquired the entire Louisiana Territory—including New Orleans and vast western lands—for $15,000,000 (about 3 cents per acre).

The deal doubled the size of the United States and secured control of the Mississippi River.