What territory was acquired by the United States from France in 1803?

The territory acquired by the United States from France in 1803 was the Louisiana Purchase. This significant acquisition expanded the United States' territory westward by approximately 828,000 square miles, doubling the size of the nation at the time. The purchase was negotiated by President Thomas Jefferson and was completed for $15 million, which amounted to about four cents per acre. The acquisition provided essential land for westward expansion and significantly contributed to the development of the United States.

The other options, while related to U.S. territorial expansion, occurred in different contexts or periods. The Oregon Territory was acquired through treaties with Britain in the mid-1840s. The California Gold Rush began in 1848, after the U.S. acquired California as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, following the Mexican-American War. The Gadsden Purchase, finalized in 1854, involved the acquisition of land from Mexico to facilitate a southern transcontinental railroad. Each of these events played a vital role in shaping U.S. history, but the Louisiana Purchase specifically refers to the territory acquired from France in 1803.