While the election of 1800 was underway, France and Spain were in talks about Louisiana. Spain owned lands west of the Mississippi River, most importantly the port of New Orleans. The Americans had negotiated with the Spanish to ensure continued trade access to the major port city—access they had long enjoyed. With France now under Napoleon Bonaparte’s leadership, it appeared as if the situation, unbeknown to the Americans, was about to dramatically change.
As the votes began to come in to elect America’s president, France and Spain signed the Treaty of San Ildefonso, which would “retrocede to the French Republic … the colony or province of Louisiana.” Whoever was to be president for the upcoming four-year term would have a geopolitical nightmare to contend with. At the time, no American politician knew of this secret treaty. Indeed, just as with the election of 1800, the final results would be some time in coming.
