Really big territorial purchases are among the things that U.S. history has marked for itself, be it the colossal land expansion under the Louisiana Purchase or the strategic buyout of Alaska, since the financial value of these transactions says a lot about how fast the country had grown and where the focus was on development.
To answer the question of how many territories the United States has purchased over time, this press release narrows its focus in light of the cheapest and most expensive acquisition in history.
A historical overview of U.S. territorial acquisitions
The United States has grown amazingly since its creation, with almost 40% of its territory acquired through land purchases. These include the major ones listed here.
- Louisiana Purchase (1803): The purchase from France added something like 828,000 square miles to the U.S. for some $15 million, doubling the country’s size. In today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation, that purchase would come to about $420 million, most likely the most strategic and cost-efficient land deal ever.
- Alaskan Purchase (1867): This $7.2 million purchase from Russia at roughly 2 cents an acre was long ridiculed but has since proved to be one of the best deals ever struck; today, the value of Alaska is many, many times that due to natural resources and location.
- Acquisition of Florida (1819): The United States bought the land of Florida from Spain in order to have control over the southeastern territories of the country, all for $5 million.
- The Gadsden Purchase (1853): The United States paid Mexico for a small strip of land, $10 million, that has a Southern transcontinental Railroad route.
These purchases enlarged not only the territory of the U.S. but also reflected the geopolitical dynamics and economic considerations of their time.
The cheapest and most expensive deals
When one considers how much bang the United States got for its buck in these acquisitions, two stand out:
- Cheapest purchase: The Alaska Purchase is the cheapest at a meager 2 cents per acre. Once thought of as a folly, it has proved to be a purchase beyond measure in value for its resources and geopolitical significance.
- The most costly purchase: Considered by many to be the most costly purchase of real estate in all of U.S. history is that of the Virgin Islands from Denmark back in 1917 for the $25 million dollar sum is truly an inflated one, proving how considerations for geopolitical interests will readily and substantially elevate cost.
Economic impact and strategic importance
Many territorial acquisitions have had profound implications for national borders and also on economic development and security strategies. The Louisiana Purchase enabled westward expansion and control over key trade routes, most importantly the Mississippi River. In the same vein, the acquisition of Alaska has proven increasingly important as global interest in Arctic resources grows.
The offers hint at deeper economic facets of U.S. history; in the quest of land as a mode of economic expansion and strategic influence regarding dealing with thorny international affairs.
Read more: Who is Luigi Mangione, the suspect arrested for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Read more: What is the Pentagon pizza theory that people are talking about over the Iran-Israel conflict
