Transcript Statehood of Alaska

Statehood of
Alaska
Made by Smorchkova Tanya
Davydovskaya School
Liskinsky District
Teacher: Lebedeva M. V.
Background
Between 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.
Population
In 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 Alaska
Shortly 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 Statehood
The 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!