Final answer:
Thomas Jefferson aimed for Robert Livingston to purchase New Orleans and lands to ensure trade route access, but the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 saw the entire Louisiana Territory acquired, doubling the US size. This purchase, at $15 million, strengthened Jefferson's agrarian republic vision and set the stage for future expansion.
Step-by-step explanation:
President Thomas Jefferson originally tasked Robert Livingston with the purchase of New Orleans and adjacent lands to secure access for US agriculture to vital trade routes. What America actually purchased in 1803, known as the Louisiana Purchase, exceeded Jefferson's initial goal. Instead of just New Orleans, the United States secured the entire Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the nation. This acquisition, at a cost of $15 million, was arguably the greatest real estate deal in American history, aligning with Jefferson's vision of expanding the agrarian republic and securing crucial trade routes along the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans.
Despite his strict adherence to the Constitution, Jefferson's desire for land for America's agrarian society outweighed any constitutional reservations. This move not only achieved Jefferson's goal of territorial expansion but also provided a platform for future exploration and mapping of the vast new lands by expeditions like that of Lewis and Clark, setting the stage for white settlement and further American influence and power in the West.