Contents
Sun Tzu considers besieging walled cities the worst strategy. It is better, he says, to reach your objective without using your army. At the beginning of the 19th century, the young American republic faced a situation in which war seemed likely. Things turned out differently thanks to patience, a credible threat and the opponent’s situation – a case of Victory without Fighting.
A port the country depends on
Situation
The settlers west of the Appalachians depend on the Mississippi. Their goods go downriver and out into the world through the port of New Orleans. Until then, Louisiana had belonged to Spain. Now France under Napoleon Bonaparte has regained the territory. Access to the sea threatens to fall into the hands of a great power that could close it at any time.
Link to the principle
A vital interest is under threat. In such a situation, reaching for force seems the obvious thing to do. That is precisely when it becomes clear whether someone is thinking only about the fight or about the objective. Jefferson’s objective was not to defeat France. His objective was free access to the sea.
The threat in the background
Situation
On April 18, 1802, Jefferson writes to his envoy Robert Livingston in Paris that once France takes possession of New Orleans, “we must marry ourselves to the British fleet and nation.” In early 1803 he also sends James Monroe to Paris. If the talks there fail, Monroe is to travel on to London and seek an alliance.
Link to the principle
Sun Tzu names attacking the opponent’s alliances as the second-best strategy. Jefferson turns this around: he makes an alliance against France credible. Victory without Fighting is not weakness. It needs an alternative the other side has to take seriously.
An offer that goes beyond the objective
Situation
Monroe is authorized to buy New Orleans and West Florida for $2 million to $10 million. But Napoleon’s expedition to Saint-Domingue, today’s Haiti, has failed in the face of resistance and disease. Without the sugar colony, Louisiana is of little value to him, and he needs money. He decides to sell the entire territory. The treaty is dated April 30, 1803, and the price is $15 million. The territory stretches from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, about 530 million acres, at less than three cents an acre. The size of the United States doubles.
Link to the principle
If you know the opponent’s situation, you can find an exchange in which both sides gain something. Napoleon got money and was rid of a territory that was hard to defend. The United States got far more than it had asked for. The best victory is often the one in which the other side does not leave the table as the loser.
Doubts in your own camp
Situation
Critics argue that the Constitution does not allow the federal government to acquire land. Some Federalists in New England even consider secession because their influence would decline. Jefferson himself considers a constitutional amendment but lets his cabinet talk him out of it. On October 20, 1803, the Senate approves the treaty by a vote of 24 to 7.
Link to the principle
Even Victory without Fighting has a price: money, internal conflicts, compromises on your own principles. That price is usually lower than the price of a war. But it has to be defended in your own camp.
Who was not at the table
Situation
The territory was not empty land. Numerous Indigenous peoples lived there. France sold its claim, not their land. In the decades that followed, the United States enforced actual control through treaties, expulsion and wars. The territory covers all or part of 15 present-day states.
Link to the principle
A victory without fighting between two powers can come at the expense of third parties. If you praise the principle, ask for whom the fight did not happen and for whom it did.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Hold on to your objective, not to the path everyone thinks is obvious.
- A credible alternative is what makes negotiations possible in the first place.
- Read the other side’s situation: their need can be your opportunity.
- Be prepared for even a peaceful victory to meet resistance in your own camp.
- Ask who is not at the table when an agreement is reached.
Summary
The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 is a classic Victory without Fighting. Thomas Jefferson wanted to secure access to the port of New Orleans. Instead of waging war on France, he built up a credible threat, sent diplomats and waited. Napoleon’s need for money and his failure in Saint-Domingue led to an offer that went far beyond the original objective. The United States doubled its size without a battle. The price, however, was paid later by the Indigenous peoples who were never asked about the deal.
Sources
- U.S. History Online Textbook: The Louisiana Purchase
- Wikipedia: Louisiana Purchase
- Founders Online: Thomas Jefferson to Robert R. Livingston, April 18, 1802
- Jon Kukla: A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf 2003.
- Sun Tzu: The Art of War, Chapter 3. China, c. 5th century BC.
