Civics question 90 of 128
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
2 accepted answers
- Louisiana Territory
- Louisiana
You only need to give one of these. The officer accepts any of them.
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
The Louisiana Territory, also accepted simply as Louisiana, was bought from France in 1803. The purchase covered roughly eight hundred thousand square miles, running from the Gulf coast to what is now the Canadian border, and all or part of fifteen present-day states came out of it. The price was fifteen million dollars, about four cents an acre. Napoleon sold because a slave revolt in Haiti had destroyed his plans for an American empire and he needed money for a war with Britain. What the United States wanted most was New Orleans, since the port controlled all trade moving down the Mississippi; the rest of the continent came almost as a bonus. Note that Louisiana here means the whole territory, not the modern state.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of 1800s, inside the American History section of the test.
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