Three Flags Day ceremony in St. Louis (1804)

Three Flags Day commemorates the formal transfer of Louisiana Territory in St. Louis on March 9 and 10, 1804. Sovereignty passed from Spain to France, then to the United States, finalizing the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Amos Stoddard and Meriwether Lewis arrived in St. Louis on March 9 to oversee the ceremony, marking the completion of the transfer process initiated in New Orleans.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The Louisiana Purchase was agreed upon in April 1803. Spain formally transferred the territory to France in New Orleans on November 30, 1803. France subsequently transferred control to the United States on December 20, 1803. However, the formal completion of the transfer for the northern territories required a separate ceremony in St. Louis to finalize the chain of sovereignty from Spain to France to the United States.

The Ceremony. On March 9, 1804, Amos Stoddard, the new U.S. lieutenant governor for the District of Louisiana, and Meriwether Lewis arrived in St. Louis. The ceremony on March 10 involved the formal transfer of sovereignty. Stoddard was appointed by the War Department to supervise Upper Louisiana as a military district from March 10 to September 30, 1804.

Administrative Context. Following the ceremony, the territory was organized into the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana. The District of Louisiana was temporarily under the control of the governor and judicial system of the Indiana Territory. Stoddard served as the first civil commandant supervising Upper Louisiana as a military district from March 10 to September 30, 1804.

People involved

Sources

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