Which country purchased alaska

Secretary of State William H. Today Alaska is one of the richest U. So what prompted Russia to withdraw from its American beachhead? And how did it come to possess it in the first place?

As a descendant of Inupiaq Eskimos, I have been living and studying this history all my life. In a way, there are two histories of how Alaska came to be American — and two perspectives. The other is from the perspective of my people, who have lived in Alaska for thousands of years, and for whom the anniversary of the cession brings mixed emotions, including immense loss but also optimism.

The lust for new lands that brought Russia to Alaska and eventually California began in the 16th century, when the country was a fraction of its current size. That began to change in , when Russia overran a Siberian territory known as the Khanate of Sibir, which was controlled by a grandson of Genghis Khan. This key victory opened up Siberia, and within 60 years the Russians were at the Pacific. The Siberian city of Okhotsk became the staging point for two explorations he ordered.

And in , Vitus Bering successfully crossed the strait that bears his name and sighted Mt. Saint Elias, near what is now the village of Yakutat, Alaska. The surviving crew fixed the ship, stocked it full of hundreds of the sea otters, foxes and fur seals that were abundant there and returned to Siberia, impressing Russian fur hunters with their valuable cargo.

This prompted something akin to the Klondike gold rush years later. Menu Menu. Home Milestones Purchase of Alaska, Milestones: — For more information, please see the full notice. The colony was no longer profitable after the sea otter population was decimated, Alaska was difficult to defend and Russia was short on cash due to the costs of the war in Crimea. In Alaska, the Americans foresaw a potential for gold, fur, and fisheries, as well as more trade with China and Japan.

The Americans worried that England might try to establish a presence in the territory, and the acquisition of Alaska—it was believed—would help the US become a Pacific power. The US gained about million acres of mostly pristine wilderness—almost a third the size of the European Union—including million acres of what are now federal parks and wildlife refuges.

Hundreds of billions of dollars in whale oil, fur, copper, gold, timber, fish, platinum, zinc, lead, and petroleum have been produced in Alaska over the years—allowing the state to do without a sales or income tax and give every resident an annual stipend.

Alaska still likely has billions of barrels of oil reserves. Alaska finally became a state in , when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act. This is an updated and shortened version of an article originally published on March 29, This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Buckminster Fuller applies for a patent for his Dymaxion Car. On October 18, , Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon complete their survey of the boundary between the colonies of Pennsylvania and Maryland as well as areas that would eventually become the states of Delaware and West Virginia.

The Penn and Calvert families had hired Mason and After joining the BEF in , Farr was sent to the front in Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. US Government. United States.