Learnt something interesting about US history last night

I just had to share this with you all given the US membership size here.

On Canadian History Channel we have a series that runs each monday night covering the USA and its early formative years and history.

I love this period as you can tell from my alias.

Well i learnt something i did not know last night in relation to the purchase of territory.

They mentioned how Louisiana was purchase from the French.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase

I knew the French helped in the war of independence and i knew Louisiana had a French element but never went in search of how and why.

Boy the powers that be back in the old days sure carved up the world like it was their own to hand out.

Purchased at a price of 3 cents an acre. If only one knew back then Eh?

Fascinating stuff this period of history.

Previous episode had a mention of George Washington, boy sure wish we had guys like him as leaders on the global stage today.

Wish the history channel would do more of this kind of programming and less garbage that aint history. Oh well......

Rob, you didn't mention it, but I'm sure you know....a lot of French-Canadians helped settle the Louisiana purchase country.
Many people in the (now) state of Louisiana are known as Acadians/Akadians/Canuks or just Cajuns. They are interesting people, very colorful, incredible cooks and many still speak a language heavily laced with French.

Rob Keeble said:

Purchased at a price of 3 cents an acre. If only one knew back then Eh?

Click to expand...

Rob,

I don't know what they told you on that show, but Napoleon knew full well what it was worth. He was no dummy.

He also knew he couldn't defend it. He could either get *something* for it, or we were just going to take it. It's not as if a few people sat in a room and carved up the world. What they did only reflected reality on the ground.

It's weird that we see history in terms of a few people. Really, it's a million pairs of feet, all of them walking slowly west...

Thanks,

Bill

One interesting aspect about the purchase is Jefferson basically financed the purchase with the sale of some bond to a company called the Baring company who was later purchased by ING life insurance. Here's a link.

Frank the Acadians history rang a big ding dong bell with me a couple of years back when i went out east to explore the east coast of Canada. Came across the Acadians in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Had me call my mother and have a few words with her about the treatment the Brits dished out in those days sending

Seems the gov in SA did a copycat of the same policy back there if you research the forced resettlements under the apartheid laws that were implemented in the grand scheme of separate development of the 1960's.

The other common thing practiced back in the day of the war of independence was the torching of homesteads to prevent guerilla warefare fighters from being re supplied.

Its interesting that the same tactic was applied by the Brits in 1900 during the boer war in South Africa where not only were homesteads torched but also the concept of concentration camps evolved.

Then in 1920's the same torching of homesteads, factories and shops was applied in Ireland.

I guess this must be in the army training manual. At least times have changed.