In 1803, the territory of Louisiana stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada. Since its discovery by France in the 17th century, the land had been passed back and forth between French and Spanish control. France controlled the territory in 1803, but a money-starved Napoleon Bonaparte wished to sell it to America. For an astonishingly affordable price of $15 million, Thomas Jefferson’s America purchased ownership of Louisiana and doubled its size.