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March 30: On This Day in World History … briefly
Russia wanted to sell its Alaskan territory, due to the difficulty of living there, apparent lack of natural resources (gold was later discovered in 1896), and fear that it might be easily seized by the United Kingdom in case of war between the two countries.
1867: America buys Alaska from Russia
“An awful lot of ice for an awful lot of dollars.”
This is how senators in Washington described the American proposal to pay $7.2 million to Russia for the frozen wastes of Alaska.
An impassioned debate about the merits of buying Alaska reached its peak as the senate voted on the issue. The two governments signed a treaty of cession, but the US Senate had to authorise payment.
Secretary of State William Seward was adamant that the price was a bargain that will handsomely repay investment when the potential for gold and other minerals were explored.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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