What a Mess!!! Post Revolutionary Border Disputes in North America...

100 Days of The Federalist Papers; March 1-May 31, 2026

100 Days of The Federalist Papers

March 1-May 31, 2026

March 10, 2026

In the course of my Treaty of Paris (1783) research, I came across several maps delineating all the border disputes between the US, Britain, and Spain in North America – AND all the states - at the time of the American Revolution!!! What a mess!!! John Jay to the rescue!!! Take a look at the complexities of the border negotiations for the state of Vermont and western holdings of Massachusetts and Connecticut!!! Spain was in control of all territories west of the Mississippi River – which included Iowa – historical events I address in my book “13 Notes from Napoleon, Iowa: Musings on the Edge of the French Empire” (Ice Cube Press, 2025). First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte regained these possession from Spain at the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800 – and sold them to Thomas Jefferson in 1803 – a treaty known as the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the US. Between 1800 and 1803, French Louisiana, which included Iowa, was a part of the French First Republic ruled by Napoleon Bonapart – who crowned himself emperor in 1804.