Going east to west, france's louisiana territory extended from a. the mississippi river to the rocky mountains. b. the mississippi river to the pacific ocean. c. the appalachian mountains to the pacific ocean. d. the appalachian mountains to the rocky mountains.

The right answer is A. the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.

The Louisiana territory, initially populated by Indians, then settled by the French, had been ceded to Spain in 1763. Since that time the dream of retaking Louisiana had stirred the French, and the audacious general Napoléon Bonaparte had retrieved it for France from his Spanish allies in 1800. Napoléon was willing to sell the Louisiana Territory because his French army in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) had been decimated not only by a massive slave revolt but also by yellow fever. Concerned about financing another round of warfare in Europe, Napoléon decided to cut French losses in the Americas by selling the entire Louisiana Territory and thereby gaining cash for his ongoing war with Great Britain. Great Britain. By the Treaty of Cession, dated April 30, 1803, the United States obtained the Louisiana Territory for about $15 million.