In 1803, Thomas Jefferson an Napoloean negotiated the United States' purchase of Louisiana from France and overnight, became on of the largest nations in the world. The Louisiana Purchase has been called the most significant real estate transaction in the history of civilization. Over 800,000 square miles of land was bought for about four cents per acre. The land would eventually be cut into all or part of fifteen American states: Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, Texas, South Dakota, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado and Montana. This plush collectible bear was made for the Louisiana Purchase Centennial in 2003.