America’s freedom from Britain came at a price, and it’s worth noting that the price was paid with bloodshed and the deaths of dozens of people. However, after the struggle, they gained independence, but with the awareness that the land they had available would not be suitable for the goal they had envisioned. This meant they needed more land, and what better way to gain more land than to buy it and persuade neighboring countries to sell it?
Because these lands reportedly belonged to other great world powers or governments that didn’t seem very interested in keeping those areas for a variety of reasons, it was particularly easy for America to buy lands from neighboring countries and utilize them as annexations and eventually states.
The United States of America possesses several such lands, states, and territories that were given or purchased by the government from other countries. These lands and territories were purchased for what some would consider a preposterous cost in today’s terms, but perhaps the American government was simply lucky and swift in its actions and decisions.
Below are 3 such states that are today part of the United States of America but were purchased from other countries that border America or had authority over the surrounding regions in America.
NEW ORLEANS AND LOUISIANA
The American government, under Thomas Jefferson, purchased the area for $15 million, thanks to Napoleon, who was probably crucial in the founding of New Orleans as an American state. The land was under French control at the time, and as Napoleon dominated France at the time, he was the only one who could decide whether it should be sold or not. Napoleon, however, needed money to equip his army, particularly since he planned an invasion of England. He eventually chose to sell the area to the US government after first resisting.
ALASKA
The Russian government has always wanted to assert its influence and presence in Europe. However, as the race to North America, led by France, the United Kingdom, and Spain, got underway, the Russians decided to join in. They began in Alaska and expanded outwards.
However, unlike France and the United Kingdom, getting supplies to the area from Russia was difficult, and Russia was forced to sell the area or suffer the dwindling population of personnel residing in the area due to extreme weather and a lack of resources, or sell the area to the United States, which was willing to pay 7.2 million dollars for it. They picked the latter, and as a result, Alaska is now a part of the United States. The area has a substantial oil and gas deposit.
FLORIDA
Florida was once an abandoned, backwater area that belonged to the Spanish government. It has since become a thriving location and state in the United States. As previously indicated, a race to rule North America began, and several major empires vied for dominance. Unfortunately, they ran into another problem with maintenance, particularly with the Spanish empire and its base in Florida. As the empire’s problems with areas vying for independence grew, as did the loss of manpower as slaves were liberated, Spaniards opted to sell the area to the United States.
Content created and supplied by: Giftpong123 (via Opera
News )