ON THIS DAY: 30 March 1867 – The United States signed the Alaska Treaty of Cessation and purchased Alaska—586,412 square miles—for $7.2 million (equivalent to $129 million in 2023) from the Russian Empire.
The name Alaska is derived from an Aleut-language word meaning ‘the mainland.’ During the early 1700s, Russia established a colonial presence in North America, though few Russians settled in Alaska. They had offered Alaska for sale to the United States on several occasions, but discussions were delayed due to the American Civil War (1861–1865). After the war ended, Tsar Alexander II instructed the Russian minister to the United States, Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, to open negotiations with William Henry Seward, the American Secretary of State.
Why did Russia want to sell the territory? Supplying the region had become too costly, making it an economic liability. The debt accrued from the Crimean War (1853–1856) was a significant burden on Russia. Additionally, there was a belief that American ‘Manifest Destiny’ (the idea that the US was destined to expand westward across North America) was inevitable, and concerns over competition from the British Hudson Bay Company played a role in the decision.
Seward had long desired Alaska to become part of the United States. Private discussions between Seward and Stoeckl led to a treaty ceding Russian North America to the United States, which was signed on March 30, 1867.
Some Americans viewed the Alaskan purchase as a positive step toward annexing Canada, while others were encouraged by the Smithsonian Institution’s recent expeditions to explore the region for natural resources.
However, not everyone supported the deal. The New York Tribune mockingly referred to it as Seward’s Icebox, Seward’s Folly, and Walrussia. Resistance also emerged in the House of Representatives, fuelled by opposition to President Andrew Johnson and scepticism over funding the purchase. In February 1868, articles of impeachment were filed against Johnson, though they ultimately failed. After extensive propaganda efforts and bribes orchestrated by Stoeckl, both Houses approved the transfer of funds.
In May 1884, Alaska was designated a district, and a civil government was established. On January 3, 1959, it officially became the 49th state of the United States. The US Census Bureau states in 2024, Alaska has a population of 733,391, 102,000 of whom are Alaskan Native or American Indian.
No one is certain who invented the dessert Baked Alaska, but it was created to celebrate the acquisition. The dessert consists of ice cream layered between sponge cake, covered with meringue, and baked at high temperatures to resemble snow-capped peaks.