Alaska Purchase

The 1867 agreement by which the United States acquired Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million. The transfer took effect later that year.

William H. Seward: U.S. secretary of state from 1861 to 1869, known for negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Seward negotiated the agreement and defended the acquisition before Congress.
Alaska Treaty of Cession: The treaty signed in 1867 by which Russia ceded Alaska to the United States. Its articles defined the territory, price, and conditions of the transfer.
Alaska Territory: The U.S. territorial government established in Alaska in 1912, before statehood in 1959. The purchased region entered a long period of federal administration before becoming a territory.
Seward's Folly: A contemporary and later nickname mocking the Alaska Purchase as a wasteful or foolish acquisition. The derisive label captures the opposition Seward faced before Alaska’s resources gained wider recognition.
Eduard de Stoeckl: Russian diplomat who served as Russia’s minister to the United States and negotiated the Alaska sale. De Stoeckl represented Russia in the negotiations with Seward.
Alaska transfer ceremony: The formal handover of Alaska from Russia to the United States at Sitka on October 18, 1867. The ceremony marked the transfer of possession after ratification and payment.
Alaska: A U.S. state in northwestern North America, separated from the contiguous states by Canada. The purchase made Alaska part of the United States; it became a state in 1959.
Manifest Destiny: The nineteenth-century belief that U.S. expansion across North America was justified or destined. The purchase extended U.S. territorial expansion beyond the continent’s contiguous landmass.
Andrew Johnson: The 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. Johnson’s administration concluded the agreement and submitted it for Senate approval.
Alaska Purchase payment: The United States’ $7.2 million payment to Russia for Alaska, authorized by the 1867 treaty. Payment fulfilled the treaty’s purchase price, though delivery was delayed.

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