re: Does your home state count as one of the original 13 colonies?

quote:

---

Much of eastern AND western Louisiana were not included in the purchase.

---

There was a dispute between Spain and the US as to the western border of the LA Purchase. Spain claimed to the Calcasieu River and the US claimed to the Sabine River. For a while, both nations agreed to not exercise jurisdiction so as to avoid war. This area has been referred to as the Neutral Ground or informally as the "Sabine Free State."

Later, by treaty, it was established that the US had up to the present day border of LA. So, it's not clear whether the LA Purchase originally included the western portion but that's what the US eventually ended up with.

(The map shows this disputed area much larger than it was.)

quote:

---

Arkansas, Kansas, and Montana have more of a claim to the Purchase than the state of Louisiana.

---

As far as what states have a "claim" to the LA Purchase, the whole point was to acquire New Orleans and thus secure access to the Gulf of Mexico via the Miss. River. The US nearly went to war when the "right of deposit" of goods in New Orleans was revoked.