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Description
For the past decade, France was in the midst of its Revolution. Kings and nobles were toppled, and the citizens of France began to have a say in governing their own country.

Fearful of losing their own thrones to civil unrest, the monarchs of Prussia and Austria launched a vicious assault into France to restore the Bourbon crown. Their violence was met by the stiff resolve of the French Revolutionaries, who came from across France to defend Paris. The modern French Anthem, La Marseillaise, comes from this time.

At the Battle of Valmy in 1792, the Prussian Army was halted. The Revolution was saved.

The Revolutionaries then began to guillotine the monarchy. Then the nobles. Then the clergy. Then each other. But, bigger events were occurring beyond Paris.

In 1796, a young general lead a French army over the Alps into Italy. There he won victory after victory, eventually fighting his way to the Austrian border. By 1797, he had closed to within 50 miles of Vienna. This man's name would come to be known across Europe; he was Napoleon Bonaparte.

In 1798 he invaded Egypt. He left Egypt a year later, returned to France and seized power. In June of 1800 Napoleon won the Battle of Marengo. With the Austrian Army defeated, the war against France ended. The French Army was now free to invade wherever it wished. By October 1800 secret negotiations between the Spanish and the French ended with agreement that France should receive control over the Louisiana Territory.

Napoleon uses the peace in Europe to build up resources for an invasion of Great Britain. But, prompted by his wife, he also sends an army to Haiti. During the Revolution the slaves of Haiti had rebelled, plunging the island into chaotic warfare. Guerilla bands of freed slaves clashed with Spanish, British, and Dutch armies and even each other. By 1801 a general named Toussaint L'Ouverture had united and pacified Haiti. Toussaint is double crossed by the French, and eventually dies onboard a prison ship. The French Army continues to occupy Haiti.

October of 1802, Spain publicly hands over Louisiana to the French. With a large French army in Haiti, some Americans believe that they will attempt to cut trade on the Mississippi by stopping ships at New Orleans. They also fear that with a strong French army garrisoning Louisiana that the US might not be able to defeat them.

--American History Map Series--

1790 [link]
1802
1804 [link]
1819 [link]
1823 [link]
1837 [link]
1846 [link]
1850 [link]
1862 [link]
1900 [link]

Original map base courtesy of Wikipedia

2/19/12 EDIT:
map base source [link]
map base created by Lokal_Profil [link]

Description
For the past decade, France was in the midst of its Revolution. Kings and nobles were toppled, and the citizens of France began to have a say in governing their own country.

Fearful of losing their own thrones to civil unrest, the monarchs of Prussia and Austria launched a vicious assault into France to restore the Bourbon crown. Their violence was met by the stiff resolve of the French Revolutionaries, who came from across France to defend Paris. The modern French Anthem, La Marseillaise, comes from this time.

At the Battle of Valmy in 1792, the Prussian Army was halted. The Revolution was saved.

The Revolutionaries then began to guillotine the monarchy. Then the nobles. Then the clergy. Then each other. But, bigger events were occurring beyond Paris.

In 1796, a young general lead a French army over the Alps into Italy. There he won victory after victory, eventually fighting his way to the Austrian border. By 1797, he had closed to within 50 miles of Vienna. This man's name would come to be known across Europe; he was Napoleon Bonaparte.

In 1798 he invaded Egypt. He left Egypt a year later, returned to France and seized power. In June of 1800 Napoleon won the Battle of Marengo. With the Austrian Army defeated, the war against France ended. The French Army was now free to invade wherever it wished. By October 1800 secret negotiations between the Spanish and the French ended with agreement that France should receive control over the Louisiana Territory.

Napoleon uses the peace in Europe to build up resources for an invasion of Great Britain. But, prompted by his wife, he also sends an army to Haiti. During the Revolution the slaves of Haiti had rebelled, plunging the island into chaotic warfare. Guerilla bands of freed slaves clashed with Spanish, British, and Dutch armies and even each other. By 1801 a general named Toussaint L'Ouverture had united and pacified Haiti. Toussaint is double crossed by the French, and eventually dies onboard a prison ship. The French Army continues to occupy Haiti.

October of 1802, Spain publicly hands over Louisiana to the French. With a large French army in Haiti, some Americans believe that they will attempt to cut trade on the Mississippi by stopping ships at New Orleans. They also fear that with a strong French army garrisoning Louisiana that the US might not be able to defeat them.

--American History Map Series--

1790 [link]
1802
1804 [link]
1819 [link]
1823 [link]
1837 [link]
1846 [link]
1850 [link]
1862 [link]
1900 [link]

Original map base courtesy of Wikipedia

2/19/12 EDIT:
map base source [link]
map base created by Lokal_Profil [link]