On October 18, 1867, the U.S. formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. The Alaska purchase comprised 586,412 square miles, about twice the size of Texas, and was championed by William Henry Seward, the enthusiastically expansionist secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson.
Russia wanted to sell its Alaska territory, which was remote, sparsely populated and difficult to defend, to the U.S. rather than risk losing it in battle with a rival such as Great Britain. Negotiations between Seward (1801-1872) and the Russian minister to the U.S., Eduard de Stoeckl, began in March 1867. However, the American public believed the land to be barren and worthless and dubbed the purchase “Seward’s Folly” and “Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden,” among other derogatory names.
Some animosity toward the project may have been a byproduct of President Johnson’s own unpopularity. As the 17th U.S. president, Johnson battled with Radical Republicans in Congress over Reconstruction policies following the Civil War. He was impeached in 1868 and later acquitted by a single vote. Nevertheless, Congress eventually ratified the Alaska deal.
Public opinion of the purchase turned more favorable when gold was discovered in a tributary of Alaska’s Klondike River in 1896, sparking a gold rush. Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959, and is now recognized for its vast natural resources. Today, 25 percent of America’s oil and over 50 percent of its seafood come from Alaska. It is also the largest state in area, about one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states combined, though it remains sparsely populated.
The name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word alyeska, which means “great land.” Alaska has two official state holidays to commemorate its origins: Seward’s Day, observed the last Monday in March, celebrates the March 30, 1867, signing of the land treaty between the U.S. and Russia, and Alaska Day, observed every October 18, marks the anniversary of the formal land transfer.
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So how different would the Cold War have been had we not bought Alaska in 1867?
Alaska has only been a state for about 50 years. However, it has been part of Russia for hundreds of years. This is not fair. It really isn’t. I wouldn’t be all that upset if Russia opted to retake Alaska … much like it annexed Crimea in 2014 from Ukraine.
Things that make you go “hmmmm”. There’s a web site, Alaska Historical Society, which claims that the fully legal purchase of Alaska wasn’t completed until 1971 !
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The last two paragraphs in the article (link below);
“In short, to dispossess Native Americans of their land and rights, Congress had to either ratify treaties when the issues were ripe or pass legislation after the fact. Failing to quiet title left in doubt who owned the land, and for post-statehood Alaska, the stakes were high. The Trans Alaska Pipeline could not be constructed (let alone completed)until Native land use was resolved.
The 1867 Treaty of Cession might have conclusively purchased Alaska had it specifically extinguished aboriginal title or had Congress done so by separate legislation, but this was not accomplished until 1971. So, as it turned out, when it was signed, the Treaty of Cession the United States bought the barn but not the farm.
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Points to consider:
1-If we’re recognizing aboriginal title, then did Russia ever hold valid title?
2-Doctrine of Laches