You know how sometimes when you go shopping for a small necessary item you end up getting an absolute killer deal on something much larger? Well, that's what happened 200 years ago when America landed the greatest real estate bargain in her history: the Louisiana Purchase, an 828,000 square mile parcel--reaching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains--bought for 3-4 cents per acre! What started out as a U.S. attempt to acquire the strategically attractive port city of New Orleans turned into the ultimate opportunity to purchase a “distressed” property mostly claimed by Napoleon's France, which offered President Thomas Jefferson's representatives much more land in order to help fund the emperor's European battles. Hosted by a trio of teens, The Louisiana Purchase Story combines a solid narrative with art, historic and computer-animated maps, and rare documents to limn the events leading up to the sale, including a look at the multicultural settlers in the area: Native Americans, Spanish, French, French Creole, Arcadians (French settlers in Canada who were later forced to leave the great white north--and are now called Cajuns), and Africans brought to the new world as slaves. The original offer was $2 million for New Orleans, but Napoleon ended up taking $15 million for the whole kit-and-caboodle. An informative and affordable documentary (which is also free to Louisiana schools), this is recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (C. Block)
The Louisiana Purchase Story
(2003) 28 min. VHS: $19.95. New Orleans Museum of Art. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. Volume 18, Issue 5
The Louisiana Purchase Story
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