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In 1801 rumors began to surface about Spain giving the Port of New Orleans to France. This was a big concern for President Thomas Jefferson because the Mississippi River ran into the New Orleans port, and the river was a highway for trade in America. Americans could ship their goods from the port of New Orleans without having to pay any tax. President Jefferson sent Robert Livingston, an American diplomat, to France to try to buy the port from France. Livingston didn’t send any answers back to the president. In 1802 the United States found out that the rumors were true, and a treaty had already been signed to give the Louisiana Territory to France. President Jefferson told Livingston to try again to buy the New Orleans port from the French. If he wasn’t able to buy the port, he was supposed to secure the right of free passage. Livingston tried for weeks, but he was unsuccessful. Since France d