Alaska – A New Frontier

October 18^th commemorates the 1867 transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States, a “folly” then, a strategic safeguard today! Initially controversial (Seward’s Folly), time has proven that the 2 cents per acre purchase gave the U.S. an enormous strategic position, vast natural resources and a gateway to the Arctic and Pacific.

In the mid-19^th century, Russia had fought Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire in the Crimean War (1853-1856). Realizing firsthand how difficult it would be to defend its distant North American possessions against a powerful naval opponent like England, Russian officials increasingly concluded that if they were going to lose Alaska eventually, they would rather sell it to the United States than allow Britain to take it.

The American driving force behind the purchase was William H. Seward, Lincoln’s Secretary of State. Seward had a grand vision for America’s future. He believed the United States should expand its commercial and strategic reach across the Pacific. Alaska could provide an American foothold toward: North America → Pacific Ocean → Asia

Seward had actually been interested in acquiring Alaska for years. Russia had floated the possibility of purchasing the territory before the Civil War, but the American crisis made a transaction impossible. After the Civil War ended, Seward immediately returned to the idea.

In December 1866, Russian Emperor Alexander II and his advisers made the decision to sell the territory. The Russian government authorized its minister in Washington,

Eduard de Stoeckl, to negotiate with Seward.

On the night of March 29–30, 1867, Seward and Stoeckl were negotiating the final details in Washington. The negotiations continued into the early morning hours. The treaty was signed on March 30, 1867. Senate confirmation came on April 9^th, 1867, followed by Congressional approval on July 14^th, 1868. The Treasury warrant for the $7.2 million wasn’t issued until August 1, 1868, more than16 months after Seward and Stoeckl signed the treaty.

For roughly 30 years, Alaska received relatively little attention from Washington. Then, in 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike region of the Yukon. This discovery helped transform public attitudes toward Alaska and vindicated many of Seward’s arguments.

Yet, gold was only the beginning as Alaska has given forth enormous quantities of oil, natural gas, coal, copper, zinc and timber.

Then, World War II changed America’s perception once again as Alaska became strategically important to American military planners. The United States constructed military installations, airfields and transportation infrastructure throughout the territory. The Alaska Highway was constructed during the war, and the territory became an important part of America’s defense of the North Pacific. But the story does not stop there!

The Cold War made Alaska even more important. Suddenly the United States had a massive strategic territory sitting directly across the northern Pacific and Arctic approaches from the Soviet Union.

The purchase Seward had envisioned partly as a Pacific commercial foothold became an important component of American national security.