The Louisiana Purchase is a bonanza for the fledgling United
States. Formerly owned by France, it was sold to the United States for sixty-eight
million francs ($15,000,000 USD, or around $250 million in 2016 dollars). The
French needed money to finance wars in Europe, so they were eager to sell the
undeveloped Louisiana territory. The purchase doubled the size of the United
States, so the correct answer is B.
