Question 1

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase was purchased from France for $15 million.

Accepted Answer

True. The United States paid $11.25 million directly and assumed $3.75 million in French debts, totaling $15 million.

Question 2

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States.

Accepted Answer

True. The purchase added about 828,000 square miles, doubling the nation's size at the time. It was a major expansion.

Question 3

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase was purchased from Spain.

Accepted Answer

False. The Louisiana Purchase was made from France in 1803. Spain had ceded the territory back to France in 1800 via the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso.

Question 4

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase was signed by President Thomas Jefferson.

Accepted Answer

False. The treaty was signed by U.S. ministers Robert Livingston and James Monroe in Paris, not by President Jefferson himself.

Question 5

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase was signed on April 30, 1803.

Accepted Answer

True. The treaty was signed on April 30, 1803, in Paris. It was ratified by the U.S. Senate later that year.

Question 6

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase included the Oregon Territory.

Accepted Answer

False. The Oregon Territory was claimed by the U.S., Britain, and others. The Louisiana Purchase extended only to the Rocky Mountains, not the Pacific.

Question 7

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase included land that later became part of 15 U.S. states.

Accepted Answer

True. The territory eventually formed all or part of 15 states, including Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, and others.

Question 8

True or false: The Louisiana Purchase was negotiated by Alexander Hamilton.

Accepted Answer

False. Alexander Hamilton was not involved; the negotiation was led by Robert Livingston and James Monroe on behalf of President Jefferson.

The Louisiana Purchase Trivia Questions