The Louisiana Purchase changed the world.

And we're not even being hyperbolic.

Sure, it totally changed the size and shape of the United States, and it was a nail in the French Empire's coffin, and it let Great Britain know that its former colonies were all grown up and probably never moving back home, but all of those were pretty immediate circumstances. The purchase happened in 1803, and within a few years, all of that other stuff was done and over with.

But when we say the Louisiana Purchase changed the world, we mean it changed the world, and not just for a few years after the docs were signed. We mean forever.

We're going to lump those forever changes into two big categories: international order and American multiculturalism. Here goes:

Can We Take Your (International) Order?

Back in the day, before television and the internet and globalization and all of that, the world's major players were defined by how many colonies they had and how powerful their navy was.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, by those standards, Great Britain, France, and a few of their European buddies were considered to be the most powerful nations in the world. They had money, they had land, they had soldiers, and they had plenty of drive to amass ever more of all three.

But the Louisiana Purchase changed all that.

All of a sudden, the United States, which was made up of former English, French, and Spanish colonies, was big enough and strong enough to stand on its own (and defend its borders). While Europe was struggling to balance its checkbooks in the midst of all of its local wars and colony battles and stuff, the United States was becoming economically solvent and financially and culturally independent.

And further, it wasn't interested in colonizing random parts of the world or getting involved in Europe's sordid war affairs. (Whether the United States' treatment of Native Americans was its own form of colonization is a good question, and we can debate that at another time.)

The country's size, isolation, and rich natural resources made its independence not only possible but relatively easy to maintain. And this helped propel the United States into a position of power, influence, and wealth that had heretofore been inconceivable.

The United States was kind of a latecomer to World War I back in the 1910s, but since then, it's been one of—if not the—biggest player in international goings-on ranging from World War II to the Cold War to NATO to NAFTA. It is the largest provider of international aid in the world, and its cultural influence can be felt in every corner of the globe.

Regardless of how we feel about the role that the United States has played in international affairs over the last 200-odd years, we cannot deny that that role has been a starring one. Though the 21st century has seen a wee decline in American influence around the world, it's still one of the leading nations in terms of economic production, technological innovation, per capita income, military prowess, cultural exports, and international trade.

Is the United States the greatest nation in the world? We're sure there are plenty of people on both sides of that debate.

But we know one thing for sure: that debate wouldn't even be a thing without the Louisiana Purchase setting the stage for American expansion and growth.

Multiculturalism: It's What's for Dinner

In this day and age, we've probably all heard at least once that America is a melting pot.

And we're not talking about fondue (though, really, fondue can be pretty amazing and is a dinner party fad that should totally come back).

Anyway, when we call the United States a melting pot, what we mean is that it's full of all kinds of different people, ideas, lifestyles, religions, economic statuses, cultures—you get the drift. And all of those differences are swirling around together, changing and influencing each other, like so many ingredients in a big pot. Melting together.

But the United States wasn't always that way.

Back in the nation's early days, the American population was primarily white, English-speaking, Protestant, and of European descent. Some were rich, some were poor, some were educated, some weren't, but for the most part, they were largely white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (or WASPs, as they are sometimes affectionately—and not so affectionately—called).

The Louisiana Purchase changed all that.

Basically overnight, the makeup of the American population changed to include a large non-white, non-European, non-Protestant population.

The Louisiana Territory had its fair share of WASP types, to be sure, but there were also large populations of Catholics, Jews, Caribbean island transplants, Latin Americans, slaves from Africa and elsewhere, Cajuns, French Canadians…the list goes on. And when the Louisiana Purchase took effect, all of those different groups of people instantly had one thing in common: they were now all citizens of the United States of America.

And the path of American culture was forever changed.

Over the years, the United States continued to expand westward, eventually stretching its borders all the way to the Pacific Ocean (and beyond). As this happened, and as rumors of America's awesomeness spread around the world, more and more different groups of people from all kinds of places and backgrounds began to make up America's population: Asians, Pacific Islanders, South Americans, peeps from the Middle East, Russians, and Eastern Europeans. Basically, by the middle of the 20th century, a nation whose citizenry had once been comprised largely of one ethnicity, race, and ancestry was now diverse.

And this trend hasn't stopped. In fact, by 2055, experts predict that there won't be a racial or ethnic majority in the United States (though they say it'll still be home to more Christians than any other country in the world).

This melding of cultures can be seen all over the country—in fashion, TV shows, music stations, street names, etc.—but nowhere is it more evident than when we look at our favorite thing in the entire world: food.

Think about it: on any given day, an American can have a chorizo breakfast burrito in the morning, sushi for lunch, linguine and a bowl of borscht for dinner, and a slice of apple pie for dessert. And it's not even weird.

Now some people say we're more like a salad than a melting pot—less swirl, more toss—but to that, we say tomato, tomahto. The point is that the United States is now and will continue to be a mix of many different cultural and geographical backgrounds, and other than the mingling between Native Americans and the early European settlers, the Louisiana Purchase was the country's first major step toward multiculturalism.

Fondue or salad? Yes, please. We'll take ours with a side of extra tomatoes.