As Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), James Madison supervised the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States by adding more than 800,000 square miles and paving the way for westward migration. In this letter to Robert Livingston (1746–1813), who had negotiated the purchase with France, he announces the formal delivery of the “Province of Louisiana” to the United States for $15 million. James Madison Collection, Manuscripts Division.

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