"Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever He had a chosen people, whose breasts He has made His peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue. It is the focus in which He keeps alive that sacred fire, which otherwise might escape from the face of the earth. Corruption of morals in the mass of cultivators is a phenomenon of which no age nor nation has furnished an example."
— Thomas Jefferson, *Notes on the State of Virginia*, 1785
Which of the following best describes how the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 served to achieve the goal described in the excerpt?
- It secured vast agrarian lands that allowed for the expansion of a republic based on independent farmers.Answer
- BIt provided the federal government with resources to build a network of federally funded manufacturing centers.
- CIt consolidated national wealth to pay off state debts through a centralized national bank.
- DIt established the legal precedent that state judiciaries could nullify federal treaties regarding territorial expansion.
Answer
The acquisition of the Louisiana Territory secured vast agrarian lands that allowed for the expansion of a republic based on independent farmers.
The purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 directly supported the vision of a virtuous republic by acquiring millions of acres of land, ensuring that the United States would remain a nation of independent, self-sufficient farmers for generations.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The relationship between Jefferson's agrarian vision and the Louisiana Purchase.