Statehood of Alaska

Made by Smorchkova Tanya

Davydovskaya School

Liskinsky District

Teacher: Lebedeva M. V.

BackgroundBetween 1854 and 1856 Russia fought the Crimean War

with England and other European nations for access to world maritime commerce. Russia lost the war.

In 1855 and 1856 British and French warships attacked and took the town of Petropavlovsk on the east coast of Kamchatka. This raised a question about the security of Russian America. If the Russians could not successfully protect Petropavlovsk against an invading force, would they be able to protect Sitka or Kodiak, or any of the other places in Russian America?

By the middle of the 1850s the Russians had gathered information on all of Alaska’s known resources. They had failed in their attempt to hunt whales, and mine coal on the Kenai Peninsula, and they had not found enough gold to warrant major mining development.

In St. Petersburg, the tsar and his advisors began to discuss how they might better supply Russian’s American colony, defend it from foreign conquest, and protect it from Indian attacks. These discussions eventually led them to consider whether or not Russian America was a liability.

On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward signed an agreement with Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, the Russian Minister to the United States. The agreement, known as “Seward’s Folly”(and “Seward’s Icebox”) ceded possession of the vast territory of Alaska to the United States for the sum of $7,2 million.

Few citizens of the United States could understand what possible use the 586,000 square miles of land would have for their country.

President Andrew Johnson sent General Jefferson C. Davis to command a military force of about 500 men to maintain peace and order, and expected that Congress would establish the civil organization of

the territory.

The Ratification and enactment

Russia ratified treaty of the Alaska purchase on June

20, 1867.

The United States Senate ratified the treaty on April 9, 1867, by a vote of 37-2. An Aleut name, “Alaska”, was chosen by the Americans. The Transfer ceremony took place in Sitka on October 18, 1867. Russian and American soldiers paraded in front of the governor’s house; the Russian flag was lowered

and the American flag was raised.

PopulationIn July 1867, shortly after Congress ratified the treaty

to purchase Alaska, more than 30 ships sailed from San Francisco to Alaska. Alaska's population was counted about 627,000 in 2000. The Natives were 17% of the population.

Gold of Alaska In 1848 gold was discovered in California. The

Russian geologist named Petr Doroshin reported finding gold in the streams of Kenai Bay.

A big discovery was made the following year.

Gold brought more people to the territory than did other industries. They established towns and demanded services from the United States Government. The government then built and maintained a telegraph line, roads, and a railroad.

The Capital of AlaskaShortly after statehood the new state had a financial

crisis. The economic problems of these early years gave momentum to the desire of Anchorage business leaders to move the capital out of Juneau. They say that it's important for the seat of government to be closer to where most Alaskans live, in the Anchorage area.

Alaska StatehoodThe Anchorage Times, the largest newspaper in

Alaska, summed up the events of June 30, 1958 with the shortest banner headline in its history. In letters six-and-a-half inches high, the newspaper proclaimed in an extra edition: "WE'RE IN."

No one had to ask what it meant.

On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the official declaration, which made Alaska the 49th state.

Alaska is а very interesting place and it is a big pleasure to study it!

Thank you for attention!