US states bought in cash
In the summer of 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump once again shocked the world community with his statements. The leader of the United States asked his assistants to explore the possibility of buying Greenland from Denmark. According to him, increasing the territory of his country in this way is nothing more than a “major real estate transaction.” The Danish government rejected the offer and recommended closing this issue forever. Since the United States is the standard of capitalism, they several times in their history have grown lands by banal purchase.
Deal with france
At the very beginning of the 19th century, the French government was in great need of financial resources. The ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte strenuously prepared his army for the future conquest of Europe. Colonies in the New World did not bring substantial income, but at the same time regularly demanded the costs of maintaining order and the rule of law. For example, the uprising of slaves on the island of Haiti that broke out at the end of the 18th century completely destroyed the French garrison. In 1803, representatives of France turned to the United States with a proposal for a land deal.
In April of that year, James Monroe was sent to Paris with the intention of discussing the purchase price of New Orleans. Imagine his surprise when the French government announced the sale of the entire territory of Louisiana. From a legal point of view, Monroe did not have the authority to conduct the transaction. His task was only to discuss prices and prepare the necessary documents. However, realizing that there would be no second chance, the American delegation on its own initiative signed all the documents. Louisiana cost the American treasury $ 15 million. Thanks to this acquisition, the US territory has doubled.
Alaska Shopping
The most famous deal in the history of Russian-American relations. The peninsula, remote from all Russian ports, became a burden for the state. Weakened by the defeat in the Crimean War, Russia needed modernization of industry, and this required money. With the offer of a deal, Russian diplomats turned to their American counterparts back in 1859. However, the US Civil War froze the process for several years. Immediately after the war, Secretary William Seward resumed negotiations. During the spring of 1867, all necessary procedures were carried out and in October of that year, Alaska was transferred to US administration. The Russian Empire received 7.2 million dollars for the territory of the peninsula.
Until 1896, the Americans did not show much interest in their northern province and considered the deal to be a big geopolitical mistake. But that all changed with the discovery of large gold reserves in Alaska. The budget of the country annually began to replenish with huge sums brought by the “gold rush”.
Virgin Islands Acquisition
The Danish West Indies has long remained a tidbit for the American government. In an effort to expand its influence in the Caribbean, the United States several times tried to buy this archipelago. The Danish side willingly agreed to a deal each time, but the senates of both countries blocked this project in turn. The whole alignment changed the First World War.
The US Department of Defense was seriously fearful of Germany’s capture of Denmark. In this case, all Danish colonies, including in the New World, would have become Germans. In 1915, Robert Lansing made another offer to his Danish counterpart to buy the Virgin Islands. The refusal did not satisfy the American diplomatic service and the Danes subtly hinted at the possibility of occupation of the archipelago. Being in a difficult situation, Denmark chose a more advantageous option for itself, for which it received $ 25 million into the treasury. The official transfer of the islands took place on March 31, 1917.