Answer:
James Monroe and Robert Livingston acted quickly to buy the Louisiana Territory because they were afraid that Napoleon might change his mind.
Explanation:
The Louisiana Purchase is a 1803 agreement between the United States and France, where the United States purchased French Louisiana for 50 million francs, corresponding to USD 11,250,000, and debt cancellation for a total value of FRF 68 million (equivalent to USD 15,000,000). It represents an area price of less than 3 cents per acre. By adjusting for inflation, the corresponding modern financial value is now less than 42 cents per acre. With this trade, the US doubled its area.
France was weakened and in financial crisis following the defeat of Santo Domingo and was still at war with the United Kingdom. Napoleon offered the United States to buy the land, partly to improve liquidity and partly because he regarded a strong United States as a counterbalance to the United Kingdom.
In the agreement, the boundaries were only vaguely worded, and it was unclear if the trade also included western Florida and Texas. After negotiations with Spain and the United Kingdom, the boundaries were established through the so-called Florida Purchase in 1819.
