"So begins the next exciting chapter in my lifetime. The day was October 20, 1803. It would be the day that I would make the greatest deal of my life.

As I sit here looking back on the early days of my presidency I tremble as I think of the decision such a young, inexperienced man had to make. Going against the words of the Federalists was just about the scariest thing that I ever had to do.

Ah, Napoleon Bonaparte. This is one of the many men that I remember as being a great leader to his nation. He hoped that his occupation in the Louisiana territory would put him in full control over the land.

I however knew that with a French-occupied Louisiana we would have a lot of trouble with westward expansion. Having those French characters around there would deeply interfere with the trade along the Mississippi River. Our nation could not risk losing the right of deposit. So we were either to sit back and let it happen, or do something about it. Yes, I did want to keep the French off the land, but I wanted to do so without starting any trouble.

Somewhere along the way our minister to France, Robert Livingston, caught up with Napoleon and pointed out that France could hardly control all over the land that they claimed as their own. I first sent Mr. Livingston over to France to try and purchase New Orleans as well as the Floridas. From there the good man Mr. Livingston met with the French minister, Charles Talleyrand, to discuss the proposed offer. Seeing it as necessary I sent along James Monroe to try and help Mr. Livingston negotiate. As Mr. Monroe was arriving, yes I do believe that is when, Talleyrand was about to give his reply. The biggest concern to Mr. Talleyrand was that without the ever busy port of New Orleans the rest of the territory would be useless. Then something rather surprising happened, something that no one was expecting. Mr. Tallyrand asked what we would give for the "whole." Oh, I do believe that both Livingston and Monroe were shocked when they realized that France was willing to sell all of the Louisiana to the United States. The men set sail as soon as possible with the incredible offer, hoping that I would make the correct decision.

Of course, Napoleon did have many of his own reasons to sell the land. The young man was about to get himself mixed up in a war with Britain, and he found it unnecessary to be in a state of war with the United States as well. Napoleon had absolutely no able-bodied force in the territory, for they had been fighting in San Dominique. Seeing no sense in owning North American land he could not protect, he instead found it better to have money to buy supplies for war. By selling this vast land to our country he hoped that he would have created a rival strong enough to defeat Britain.

Many of my fellow Americans wanted to expand this great nation westward. However, the Federalists were against this idea. The Federalists rejected this idea because they thought that their power would be dispersed to the south and the west. To tell you the truth they were almost always against everything that I proposed.

I, myself, had some definite concerns over this purchase of land. The cost exceeded what the Congress authorized. The Federalists were against all of it, of course. Finally, the Constitution did not allow land purchases.

Thus, it came down to my decisions and mine only. My first decision was that the Constitution did allow treaties, and the Louisiana Purchase was a form of a treaty. The expansion would add to the greatness of the country, and would give us control over the Mississippi River. If it came down to it, we would settle on borrowing money from the English and Dutch banks.

Excellent! Absolutely magnificent! Oh, thank thy great Lord that I could focus myself and make the correct decision. Of course, after the purchase, many looked at me as a man of great decision making. Though I had never been faced with a real challenge before. It helped this great nation to double its size in only a matter of time. It was significant to the people because they would help the traders by giving them the river to transport their goods. It would help the farmers by giving them rich, fertile land.

Have you ever wondered how different life would be if you would have chosen another path? What would have happened to the United States if the French still controlled the waterways of the Mississippi? Would Lewis and Clark have ever made their famous journey? Would the United States only have 15 states? Would the United States be a monarchy? Would the United States have ever become such a land of opportunity? The road not taken often leaves hundreds of questions to ponder. I am so proud of the guidance of all that made this opportunity possible.

So ends the chapter in which all would be determined. As I sit back and gaze out at the free and abundant lands of the United States, I ponder how lucky I have been. To be the one person that could make such a momentous decision that I would alter the fate of millions."