Final answer:
Jefferson hesitated to make the Louisiana Purchase because of constitutional concerns over his presidential authority to acquire new territory, but the strategic and economic benefits ultimately led him to proceed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Jefferson hesitated before making the Louisiana Purchase due to constitutional concerns. Nothing in the Constitution explicitly granted the President the power to acquire new territory. Jefferson, a staunch advocate for strict construction of the Constitution, found himself in a quandary. Despite his reservations, the strategic importance of New Orleans and the Mississippi River, and his vision of an agrarian society ultimately led him to proceed. The deal with France, vociferously led by Napoleon who was willing to sell due to various circumstances including the Haitian Revolution, was completed and the territory was purchased for $15 million in 1803, doubling the size of the United States.