We were just discussing a question in the group chat: why did the French govern the French North American colonies at the time, and why did they sell Louisiana to the United States in 1803, allowing the US to complete its largest territorial expansion since its founding? Actually, comparing the extent of the recent cold wave affecting the US, the answer is obvious. The entirety of French North America, and Louisiana itself, was undeniably a harsh and cold land under French rule in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today's prosperous agricultural environment in the American Midwest is built upon the backdrop of industrialization and mechanization. Back then, this place only deserved to be used as a penal colony by the French. [Exaggeration]