Neil,

The Louisiana Purchase is a good question to ask students to consider 
whether it is best for a politician/president to stick squarely to the 
constitution, or to bend it a bit sometimes. Good deal or not, Jefferson did 
not have the authority to sign the purchase or promise the purchase price to 
France without prior congressional approval. It was not listed in the 
constitution as his right.

And, please don't get me started on whether they purchased the land from the 
rightful owners.

As to whether the Louisiana Purchase constitutes a part of Virginia history, 
I will have to defer to those who manage the list. Inasmuch as it involves a 
Virginian as president, and took place just over the state line in DC, I 
think it is a suitable subject. But, I am subject to correction.



Anne Pemberton
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http://www.erols.com/apembert
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org 

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