Every Time Russia And The United States Were Friends, Explained

During the 1850s, the Russian American Company had fallen on hard times. According to the Western Historical Quarterly, despite early successes, the cost of maintaining its colonies in Alaska was proving to be unsustainable even as American prospectors and merchants descended upon the territory as competitors. Russia, however, faced a problem. According to the State Department, Britain — the main Russo-American rival — also wanted Alaska (via Library of Congress). So Russia hit upon a solution — sell the territory to the United States to keep Alaska out of British hands. In 1859, Russia made the United States an offer, but the deal was postponed following the outbreak of the American Civil War.

In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward offered to take Alaska off Russia's hands for $7.2 million. The treaty, which was signed on March 30, officially completed the transfer of Alaska to the United States. Russian citizens, including those of mixed Russian-Alaska Native descent, were given the option of American citizenship, while the Russian Orthodox Church was granted freedom of worship and the integrity of its properties.

Despite the success of the deal, the American public was not impressed. According to the Library of Congress, Alaska was considered a frozen wasteland, earning names from "Seward's Ice Box" to President Andrew Johnson's less-famous but hilarious "polar bear garden." The public called the purchase "Seward's folly." However, the secretary was proved correct once gold was discovered in Alaska in 1890. Suddenly, the territory didn't seem so useless anymore.

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